


Ocean of Our Tears

by kunclipse (princemin)



Series: Sirens & Sailors [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Almost Drowning, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Historical, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Childhood Friends, Eventual Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Injury, M/M, Minor Huang Ren Jun/Na Jaemin, Minor Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Lee Taeyong, Mutual Pining, Pirates, Sailors, Sirens, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:48:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 55,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24377509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princemin/pseuds/kunclipse
Summary: Life as a sailor was not as easy as Donghyuck had thought before he left his home island and boarded a stranger’s ship with his childhood best friend. It wasn’t just carefree sailing, making friends everywhere he went and relentlessly annoying Mark. Most days it was hard work, fishing and trying to sell anything they caught to afford to live comfortably. Still, Donghyuck loved his life like it was, his crew was his family and every day felt like an adventure.But good things don’t last forever and the hollow piece in his heart only grew bigger with time. After a shocking discovery about his past, Donghyuck and his friends sail towards unknown waters to figure out how to help him.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Series: Sirens & Sailors [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1883491
Comments: 63
Kudos: 77





	1. A Good Day

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Welcome to my first NCT fic. I'm fairly new to the fandom so please treat me kindly~
> 
> Notes:  
> \- This is a fictional universe and many things, such as its map differ from reality. The way I describe things is how they work in this world, no matter how things actually are in reality.  
> \- You might notice that one sweetheart isn't part of the story just yet but I promise he'll come along later!  
> \- The tags will be updated along with the chapters to avoid spoiling the entire fic, so remember to check them. 
> 
> [Moodboard](https://twitter.com/kunclipse/status/1268945075272376321)  
> [Carrd](https://oceanofourtears.carrd.co/)
> 
> I hope you enjoy <3

Donghyuck leaned over the edge of the small boat, careful as he peered into the clear blue water. The red coral reef was practically shining below the surface, looking like dawn had frozen in time underwater. Further away, he could spot Doyoung and Jaehyun diving into the water by their own boat. The midday sun was pouring down on them but thanks to the wind blowing from the East, it wasn’t too hot to bear. 

Squinting his eyes, Donghyuck moved forward just a little bit more, his eyes searching for a familiar sight through the ripples of the ocean. A swarm of fish passed the reef, a flash of silver from their scales momentarily blinding him. Right then, something burst out from the water and splashed his face. Donghyuck fell backwards into the embrace of the boat, nearly hitting his head on the wooden seat next to him. 

The loud cackle of laughter that followed Donghyuck’s fall was as warm as the sunshine and all too familiar. “Mark!” He yelled, trying to complain, but it came out sounding more like a whine than anything else. He wiped his face, thankful that he hadn’t gotten any saltwater into his eyes before scrambling back up. 

The other boy was grinning in the water as he held on to the edge of the boat with one hand. “Ahh, you’re too easy to surprise like this, I couldn’t help myself,” Mark said, an amused glint in his eyes. 

Donghyuck did his best to not pout visibly as he rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Did you find more?” 

Mark nodded and raised his other hand from the water, showing him the small pouch he was holding. Donghyuck grabbed it eagerly, feeling the weight on his palms. It was full. He turned to set it into the basket with the others. 

Today was a good day for them, the catch had been abundant. Donghyuck wondered how well the others were doing out fishing. Maybe they could place a bet later, on who was going to earn them the most gold and silver today. Unless the others were going to come back with a record catch, Mark, Doyoung, Jaehyun and he would definitely win. Oysters were paid for better than fish was and if they lucked out, they might even find a few pearls.

Donghyuck turned back to Mark and hesitated only for a moment before he reached down to brush the other’s dark brown hair from his forehead. It was getting too long, almost covering his eyes when it was wet like this. “You didn’t touch the coral, right?” Donghyuck couldn’t stop himself from asking the same worried question he often did. The red coral reef was named Blood Reef by the villagers of the nearby islands and for a good reason. It had developed a poison to repel other creatures and if it got into one’s bloodstream, it could cut off circulation and result in a heart attack. 

Mark snatched Donghyuck’s hand from his hair and held it above the water’s surface instead, squeezing gently. “I didn’t, I promise. The others are careful too, we always are. Don’t worry, Hyuck-ah.” He didn’t tease Donghyuck like he usually would, as if he could sense that today was not a day that he could take on too much of it. Mark knew how much he wanted to join and look for oysters as well, to help out with earning them enough means to afford their food and clothes, instead of just sitting in the boat and waiting, watching. And he knew better than anyone why Donghyuck wasn’t able to do that. 

“Good,” he mumbled, trying not to feel frustrated with himself. Mark’s reassuring smile made an odd feeling that was both enjoyable and uncomfortable settle in his chest. Donghyuck ignored it as he moved quickly, dunking the other’s head underwater and backing away into the boat, laughter falling from his lips. Mark spluttered before yelling out his name, just like Donghyuck had yelled his moments before. It echoed across the surface of the ocean, warming Donghyuck inside out. He grinned up to the sun.

Yeah, today was a good day.

Yuta and Taeil were waiting for them in the port when Donghyuck, Mark, Jaehyun and Doyoung made it back from the Red Reef on their dinghies, hired from the port-keepers just for that day. Donghyuck didn’t waste time to scramble out of the boat, much to Mark’s annoyance, and run over to jump on Taeil’s back without a warning, interrupting his conversation with Yuta. Taeil yelped out of surprise but instinctively wrapped his arms around Donghyuck’s thighs to keep him in place. “One day you’ll make me trip and we’ll both break something,” he told him as Donghyuck laughed into his ear, but there was no bite to his words and the smile on his face was fond. 

Mark had tied up the boat with Yuta’s help and Doyoung, Jaehyun and them started carrying their baskets full of the day’s catch towards the shore while Taeil followed with Donghyuck on his back. The rest of the group were probably already setting up a place for them in the market. “You know you could always just drop him,” Yuta suggested to Taeil with a grin.

Donghyuck huffed at his friend before squeezing Taeil with his arms around his neck. “Taeil wouldn’t do that, he loves me too much,” he sing-songed but was quickly proven wrong when Taeil let go of his legs and he slid off of the other’s back with a whine, opting to walk by him with his arm around his shoulder instead, ignoring the laughter of the others. 

Taeil glanced at him with an apologetic look that Donghyuck immediately waived off. “I know, I know, I’m not as light as I used to be. And on top of that, you’re getting old, my friend!” Taeil looked like he wanted to protest but Donghyuck squeezed his shoulder and continued speaking before he could. “How did the fishing go? Did you get a good catch? Did Johnny get fish all over himself again?” He leaned closer and sniffed. “You don’t smell like fish.”

Taeil rolled his eyes at the string of questions and patted Donghyuck’s arm in an attempt to calm his excitement. “I was the lookout today, that’s why I don’t smell. No, Johnny didn’t get fish raining on himself this time and the catch wasn’t very good, unfortunately,” he paused, a frown clouding his expression. “One of the nets ripped.”

“Oh,” Donghyuck mumbled, his joy dimming down. It seemed like betting was pointless this time. “Can it be fixed?”

Taeil sighed, quickly bowing as he stepped closer to Donghyuck to make way for an elderly lady and her basket of herbs. “I don’t think so, the rip is so wide we might as well get a new one.”

Donghyuck pursed his lips, holding back a snort when he saw Doyoung slapping Jaehyun upside the head for dropping one of the oyster pouches, the quick movement resulting in more of the pouches falling from the basket they were holding between them. Somehow Yuta and Mark managed to keep theirs where they belonged even though they were cackling like maniacs. Donghyuck turned back to Taeil whose eyes were brimming with amusement as well, fading the worry if just a little bit. “Can we afford that? I can chip in from my savings if we need it!” 

Taeil shook his head even before Donghyuck finished his sentence. “No, no Hyuckie, it’s okay. As long as your oysters sell well, we can afford a new one. Maybe find a pearl or two and we can get two new nets.”

Donghyuck smiled, relieved. “Well, I guess I should go and help with that, then. Mark will scare all the customers away if I’m not there to make him shut up and just look pretty.” He ruffled Taeil’s red hair before he rushed to join the others. “Your roots are growing back!”

“No, they’re not!”

Donghyuck reached Mark and Yuta just when they walked past the first stalls of the market. It still amazed him how the small island and its people seemed to come alive within these delicious smells, colourful trinkets and beautifully made objects. He grabbed onto the back end of the basket, between where Yuta and Mark were carrying it from the handles on the sides. Mark rolled his eyes at him but he was smiling. “You know you could help me carry these sometimes, instead of clinging onto Taeil the moment we come back like you didn’t see him just this morning.”

Donghyuck was about to reply but Yuta beat him to it, his grin evident even from the tone of his voice, “Mark, don’t be jealous.”

Mark’s smiling face morphed into a horrified expression and Donghyuck burst into laughter, nearly tipping over the basket as he stepped away to clutch at his aching stomach. “I’m not jealous, why would I be jealous?” Mark’s voice raised higher with every word until he huffed and nodded towards Donghyuck. “I’ve suffered from his company since we set off. I’m just saying that he’s leaving me to do all the work.”

“Oh, my,” Donghyuck wiped his eye before patting a still grinning Yuta on the shoulder, “why would I help you, though?” He asked, turning to Mark. “You need to build your muscles, no young villager will want to buy oysters or fish from a scrawny sailor boy.”

“I’m not scrawny! Look at yourself!”

Yuta hummed, holding onto the handle of the basket with one hand so he could tap on his chin with the other. “But do you remember that time Hyuckie got two coconuts for free? And Jaehyun wasn’t even there to help him.”

Mark huffed. “He doesn’t like coconuts.”

“That still counts, just admit he’s handsome.”

Donghyuck wasn’t listening to the two anymore, too curious by the stall on their right. He fell behind and walked over to look closer, smiling at the woman sitting behind the table. She had a blue shawl wrapped around her shoulders, complimenting the darker shade of her skin. Although her hands were wrinkled and frail, they still worked effortlessly on the intricate bracelet made of leather and coloured wooden links that she was holding. 

He felt shy under her warm gaze as he greeted her quietly and let his sight fall onto the beautiful jewellery covering the table. There were many bracelets like the one the woman was working on, as well as necklaces, anklets, rings and dangling earrings, twinkling in the sunlight. Donghyuck let his fingers hover over one of the earrings, mesmerized by the emerald shade of the glass pieces on it, shaped like teardrops. 

“See something you like?” Donghyuck jumped at the smooth voice and felt his cheeks heat up with sheepish embarrassment as the vendor chuckled at him. “Seems like you do.”

Donghyuck’s eyes flickered from the earrings to the woman. He didn’t have holes to put them on, Yuta had offered to pierce his earlobes but he’d ended up declining the offer, too afraid of the pain. But maybe if he… Donghyuck sighed softly as he remembered the ripped net, his shoulders deflating. Even though Taeil had told him his personal savings weren’t needed, he couldn’t bring himself to think about using them for himself at the moment. “Ah, your jewellery is very beautiful, I just can’t afford to buy any right now. Maybe- Maybe some other time? I’d really love to.”

The vendor raised a thin brow at him, but her expression was kind. “Don’t worry, boy. I live on this island and I’m not planning on going anywhere, you’ll see me here again if you so wish.”

Donghyuck nodded eagerly, making the woman let out a breathy laugh. “You’re part of the crew of that Morning Star, aren’t you? Just come see me before you move onto another part of the sea and I’ll be satisfied. Such a sight for sore eyes, that bright smile of yours.”

Donghyuck couldn’t help but grin at her words, quickly bowing his head as a thank you. “I will! We still haven’t decided where we’re heading next so we might be sticking around for a while.” He waved his goodbye, his grin melting into a soft smile. “I’ll see you around!”

He chuckled at the sound of the woman’s cheery goodbye and kept on walking through the market, trying not to get distracted even though the smell of food and spices made his mouth water. Yuta and Mark were no longer anywhere on sight and neither were Jaehyun, Doyoung and Taeil. Donghyuck quickly realized he was a little lost. The marketplace was quite big and he didn’t know where Taeyong and the others had decided to settle down for the day. 

As he rushed down a thin alley behind a row of stalls, looking around for a sign of any of his friends, he bumped into someone and almost stumbled to the ground. He quickly collected himself and turned to apologize. “I’m sorry, I-,” the words withered in his throat and he swallowed thickly at the sight of the man who he’d run into. He was tall and gruff-looking, a healing scar going across his cheek above a short black beard. 

The scowl on his thick-browed face melted into a smirk as he raised his hands and spoke, ”You here to buy siren scales? I’ve got some of the good quality.”

Donghyuck’s eyes flickered to the jar the man was holding in his hands, half of it filled with big, iridescent scales. He chuckled nervously as he looked back to the man. “I know the Siren Purges ended almost ten years ago,” he said, unconsciously taking a small step back, “sir.”  _ They’re probably fake. _

But when the man threw his head back and fell into booming laughter, his shoulders shaking with the strength of it, Donghyuck felt an odd tremor go down his spine and he shivered. The man slowly calmed down from his joy but Donghyuck couldn’t stop staring at his jar, at the scales jingling together softly with the movement. It made him feel something unsettling at the very pit of his stomach. “Just because the purge ended, boy,” the man told him, cruel amusement laced in his voice, “doesn’t mean sirens are completely gone.” He raised the jar towards him. “These are said to bring good luck, ya know?”

Donghyuck shook his head, feeling faint. “No, thank you,” he mumbled before turning and rushing away, his own breath loud in his ears.

“Eh? Your loss!” He heard the man scoff behind him but didn’t bother answering.

He passed two more rows of stalls before he heard familiar voices and when he looked to his right, he spotted Johnny in his yellow bandanna, gesturing wildly with his hands as he explained something to Taeyong and Doyoung who were practically stuck together from their shoulders. Donghyuck let out a relieved sigh and started walking over to them, forgetting everything about the man he’d just encountered. 

Jaehyun and Taeil were preparing the fish on one table while Mark and Yuta were working on the oysters over the other one. Donghyuck ducked down with a giggle when he passed by Johnny, failing to avoid getting his hair ruffled. He manoeuvred his way over to the oyster table, holding onto Jaehyun’s steady shoulder as he stepped over a basket of tuna. There were only a few of them.

He peered over Mark’s shoulder once he reached him, watching as the other tried to open one of the oysters they’d caught that day. Mark didn’t even glance at Donghyuck when he spoke, too focused on his task, “What made you get lost this time, hm?”

Donghyuck ignored the way his cheeks flushed. “I just stayed back to look at some pretty jewellery, that’s all.” He pointedly decided to not admit to getting a little bit lost. 

Mark hummed, letting out a quiet curse when he managed to open the oyster with his knife, only to find it was without a pearl. “Can’t buy you anything right now, I’m saving up for a new spyglass.”

Donghyuck slapped him on the arm, carefully, because of the knife he was holding. “I wasn’t going to ask you to, I was just looking at them,” he grumbled. 

His gaze travelled to Mark’s neck and washed over the necklace resting against the base of his throat. The wooden beads were skillfully painted to look like real white pearls, but obviously a mere sailor couldn’t afford such luxuries. Donghyuck’s necklace was very similar to Mark’s, its wooden beads painted black instead. They’d been the first thing the two of them had bought with their own earnings after joining the Morning Star’s crew. How much time had it been? Three years?

“Stop staring at me.” Donghyuck was brought back from his thoughts by Mark, whose cheeks had a pink hue to them now. It might’ve been because of the sun, but Donghyuck preferred to think it wasn’t.

He chuckled and reached for one of the knives on the table. “Let me help.”

“Be careful.”

That evening, as the sun was dipping into the ocean and painting the sky red and orange, their group settled down onto the beach near the port, planning to spend the night under the stars rather than the small bunks below the ship’s deck where they usually slept. ‘They’ being everyone else but Taeyong and Doyoung who had the luxury of having the captain’s cabin to themselves. With the way Taeyong preached about there not being any hierarchy on Morning Star, he sure enjoyed some of the benefits of being the captain. The crew’s room didn’t even smell  _ that _ bad.

The fire they had built to warm them during the night was crackling softly, eagerly eating up the dry wood Johnny occasionally fed it. It was a nice end to a good day, Donghyuck decided as he settled down between Mark and Jaehyun. They’d ended up finding three pearls inside the over two hundred of opened oysters. Donghyuck having found two of them considered himself the winner of a competition that Yuta - one pearl - and Mark - zero pearls - refused having taken part in. They’d yet to find a person willing to buy the pearls from them, but most of the catch was sold successfully, earning them enough for Taeil and Taeyong to go buy a new net. If Donghyuck sneaked one of his own silver coins into Taeil’s pouch, well, no one needed to know.

Only a sliver of the sun could be seen on the horizon when Doyoung pulled out his flute, one that Johnny had carved for him as a gift months ago. It had taken a while before anyone was willing to listen to the ear-piercing noise that sounded nothing like music, but Doyoung had been quick to learn and listening to him play was very enjoyable now. When he started to play, the chatter that had been going around the fire slowly died down as everyone quieted to listen and enjoy the moment. These moments were some of Donghyuck’s favourites. Just their crew, their little family, enjoying a peaceful night in each other’s company. In times like these, he forgot to feel like something was missing. For a little while, he could ignore the small hollow piece deep in the corner of his heart.

Donghyuck let this thought fade away as Taeil started to sing along to the familiar song Doyoung was playing, his voice carrying over the flicker of the fire and warming everyone’s hearts. Jaehyun was quick to join in and Donghyuck felt his shoulders relax, enjoying the moment to the fullest. He didn’t need to lean far until his head was resting against Mark’s shoulder, steady and always ready for him. He swallowed to clear his throat before he joined in on the singing, letting his voice entangle with the other two, creating a beautiful melody. 

The fire stopped crackling then as if stopping to listen, and before long, a small swarm of butterflies fluttered around. They were bright blue of colour, their wings emitting a pale light that looked mesmerizing in the darkening night. Donghyuck had to hold back a giggle when one of them decided to land on his bare arm, tickling the skin where it sat. He continued singing even when he felt Mark turn his head, his nose brushing against Donghyuck’s forehead. “This happens almost every time,” he whispered, just loud enough for his voice to reach Donghyuck’s ears, “are you sure you’re not magical?”

Donghyuck rolled his eyes even when he felt his cheeks heat up as he grinned into the song.


	2. Salt on the Wounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You fought with Mark,” Taeyong said as they passed a small group of children playing tag. It wasn’t a question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big thank you to my [love](https://twitter.com/tentoheaven) for betaing this fic!
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter ♥

Sunlight flickering off the water’s surface, making him squeeze his eyes shut. The jingling of scales in a glass jar, held by hands they don’t belong in. A strong resonation in his chest, calling him towards somewhere he’d never been to. Glowing eyes of emerald green, unknown but familiar all the same. Faint laughter in the distance, gradually getting louder and louder.

Donghyuck let out a long, frustrated breath when he was pulled awake from his dream by the loud voice and even louder cackling behind him, travelling to his ears and making him want to cringe. “Mark,” he said, voice thick with sleep and irritation, eyes still held stubbornly shut even though the lightness behind his eyelids indicated that the sun was rising.

“Huh?” The voice behind him answered. “Oh, sorry Hyuck-ah. Did we wake you up?”

Donghyuck rolled his eyes open, squinting to get used to the brightness before turning to his other side. Mark and Taeil were sitting by the embers of the fire from the night before, a small pot warming up over it. Jaehyun was asleep over his blanket a few feet away, but everyone else seemed to already have gathered their stuff and gone off. “ _You_ woke me up,” Donghyuck crumbled, making his best murder eyes at Mark. It was hard with the sun rays hitting his face but he thought he managed to get his point across. “Why do you have to be so loud in the mornings?”

Mark shrugged before chuckling. “Why do _you_ have to be so grumpy in the mornings? The sun is rising anyway, it’s about time you woke up.”

Taeil interjected before Donghyuck had time to retaliate. “Come eat breakfast, Hyuckie. The others headed back to the ship about an hour ago. Taeyong, Johnny and Yuta are trying to fix that one crooked sail before we’re all leaving to go fishing later.” He got up from where he sat and brushed the sand off his pants. “There will be something for all of us to do before we head to the sea. It’s going to be a long day so let’s get started.” He patted Donghyuck on the shoulder before walking past him to crouch by Jaehyun, gently starting to shake him awake.

Donghyuck sat up properly, eyeing the pot of soup hanging above the embers warily. “Who made that?” He asked, glancing at Mark who had started to pack up his things. “I don’t want to get salt poisoning.”

Mark whipped his head around to scowl at him, knowing that Donghyuck was referring to the time he’d practically _poured_ salt on their food and made it inedible. He hadn’t been allowed to cook for the group ever since. “That was one time! It’s not like you’re a better cook, mister raw meat.”

Taeil shushed them with a loud click of his tongue, just as Jaehyun started to stir awake and groaned, trying and failing to push Taeil away from himself. Taeil nodded towards the soup. “Taeyong and Doyoung made it before they left, it’s perfectly edible. Go on. You too, Jaehyun, get up.”

Taeyong was sitting up in the middle portion of the foremast when they boarded the Morning Star, while Yuta was letting down the first of the sails with the help of Doyoung. Donghyuck joined Johnny where he was looking up at their captain, a hand shielding his eyes from the sun. Johnny didn’t react when Donghyuck cuddled up to his side and wrapped the other’s arm around his shoulder, squinting up at Taeyong as well. “Do you think the problem is in the sprits?” Johnny called out, giving into Donghyuck’s antics and patting his shoulder gently.

Several meters above the deck, Taeyong shook his head as he eyed the fore-topsail. “No, it’s the ropes! We need to replace them, the left corner one is falling apart.” He started carefully descending the mast. “Yuta can help me do it, we just need to measure the ropes first.”

Johnny hummed in thought before he looked down at Donghyuck, who hadn’t noticed he was pouting until Johnny furrowed his brows, taking a step away to look at him better but keeping his hand on Donghyuck’s shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Donghyuck pressed his lips into a tight smile, “I think I just had a weird dream or something. It left me feeling out of place.”

Johnny narrowed his eyes, glancing over Donghyuck’s shoulder where Mark and Jaehyun were laying out the nets before looking back at Donghyuck with a knowing look in his eyes. “And you were grumpy so you bickered with Mark.”

Donghyuck rolled his eyes and pushed Johnny’s hand off his shoulder before turning to look at Mark who was too focused on what he was doing to notice. “Shut up.”

He yelped when Johnny wrapped an arm around him from behind and none too gently ruffled his hair. “Good thing you two are in water duty today!” Donghyuck groaned, trying and failing to wiggle out of Johnny’s hold as the other raised his voice to carry to the other side of the deck. “Hey, Mark!”

Mark looked up at them with an earnest expression, his mouth splitting into a grin as he saw the miserable state Donghyuck was in, dangling in Johnny’s hold like a petulant child. Donghyuck felt his resolve crack at the sight. He didn’t see the sparkles that Mark held in his eyes from that distance, but he knew they were there. Much like a petulant child, he wanted to stomp his feet, fighting against the way his heart melted in his chest and dripped down to form a pool of warmth in his stomach.

“Go get the buckets, will you?” Johnny ordered Mark before he rested his chin on Donghyuck’s head. “It’s you and Hyuckie’s turn to go get fresh water from the well.” Mark gave Johnny a quick nod before he turned and headed below deck.

Donghyuck went limp in Johnny’s embrace, crossing his arms over his chest as the other laughed at him. “You’re the worst,” he mumbled half-heartedly, unable to bring himself to even sound like he meant the words.

Johnny finally let him go, pushing Donghyuck up from his chest but still holding a hand at the small of his back as Donghyuck reached up and tried to fix his hair the best he could. “And you and Mark are the best things that have ever happened to each other, it was clear from the moment you two boarded this ship. The sky would probably fall down on all of us if you guys went a day without talking. Don’t forget that.”

Mark climbed back on deck then, two wooden buckets hanging from each of his hands as he walked over to them with a smile, the wind messing up his hair. He was holding up two of the buckets for Donghyuck to take even before he was close enough to give them to him. Donghyuck felt his nose scrunch up as he fought back a smile. “How could I ever forget?” He whispered, reaching out to take his buckets and letting his fingers brush against Mark’s wrist as he did so. The barely noticeable tension in Mark’s shoulders eased with the touch. That was all they needed.

The trip to the well was mostly occupied by silence, though it wasn’t unwelcome but comfortable. The empty buckets were light enough to carry by one hand so Donghyuck and Mark opted to keep their other hands free, shoulders, arms, fingers brushing as they walked side by side, gradually starting to sweat as the sun kept rising through the blue expanse of the sky.

Donghyuck was lost in his thoughts, trying to recall more of his dream than just the odd feeling at the bottom of his throat. Mark let him be until they’d filled their buckets and Donghyuck pressed on the lid on his second bucket, frowning at his own reflection in the water before covering it.

“Feeling homesick?” Mark piped up, waiting for Donghyuck to grab a bucket in each hand, now filled to the brim with water and heavy enough to need the strength of both his arms.

Donghyuck decided to lead the way, feeling content with having Mark at his back. “A little bit,” he answered to Mark’s question honestly, even though he knew that Mark was aware it wasn’t just that. Mark knew him well enough to know. Still, Donghyuck chuckled warmly. “Jisung is probably going to be two meters tall the next time we see him.”

Mark chuckled as well, panting a bit with the effort it took to carry two buckets full of water under the growing heat of the sun. “You know we could always ask the others to take us back for a little while, they wouldn’t mind. It’s been over half a year since we last dropped by and I think Jaemin might try to sink Morning Star in the bay just to keep us there for longer than a few days.”

Donghyuck’s shoulders shook as he laughed at the thought. “Jeno would stop him.”

“Renjun would stop Jeno from stopping him while Chenle and Jisung distract us.”

Donghyuck shook his head to get some of his hair out of his forehead, grinning. But his smile fell gradually and eventually he sighed. “It’s over a weeks sail from here, isn’t it? I wouldn’t want to inconvenience the others like that, even when they wouldn’t see it as one. As much as I miss our best friends, we should drop by when it doesn’t take us too far off course. I do miss our home island, but,” Donghyuck turned to smile at Mark over his shoulder, only to find the other already looking at him, mirroring his expression, “home is here, too. Or wherever our ship and the others are, anyway.”

“Wherever I am?”

Donghyuck snorted. “Sure, Mark.”

_No. Wherever you are is just where I belong._

They walked in reassuring silence for a while and Donghyuck had just raised his arm to wipe his sweat on the crook of his elbow, ignoring the strain on his muscles, when Mark cleared his throat behind him. “You know, I’ve been thinking.”

“Glad to know your brain works,” Donghyuck mused. “About what?”

He could hear Mark adjusting his grips on the handles of his buckets. “The next time we rent out the dinghies, we should go to the Southern lagoon. I heard there are bigger oysters there. Also, there are rumours that some pirates used to hide their treasures there. Who knows, maybe we’d luck out,” Mark’s tone was nonchalant, but it didn’t sound like it usually did.

Donghyuck stayed silent as he frowned, thinking. Southern lagoon? There was only one lagoon on the South of the island and-

Donghyuck turned around so quickly that Mark flinched and took a step back. The water inside his buckets slushed against the lids. “Are you being serious, Mark? You want to go to the _Bone Lagoon_?”

Mark didn’t seem phased by the nickname, he just shrugged. “Yeah, why not? I know it’s a bit risky but the chances are promising. A catch that good would give all of us more than just the bare minimum to survive.”

All the built-up irritation he’d managed to let go of earlier seemed to flood back into Donghyuck’s body in just a few beats of his heart and he inhaled with the force of it. He was seething as he set down his buckets and balled his hands into fists, his fingernails digging into his palms, sure to leave marks. “That place has its name for a reason, it’s full of Grey Piranhas! Fuck no, we’re never going there!” Donghyuck thought of the stories he’d heard murmured around. The bottom of the Southern lagoon was littered with bones, the islanders would say. Rarely a fully intact skeleton, just an arm, a leg, maybe a collarbone or a spine. Once a Grey Piranha sunk its teeth into flesh, there was no way of getting its jaws open.

“Don’t be so dramatic, Hyuck-ah,” Mark said, rolling his eyes. “Other people have gone out there and come back completely fine. You’d be alright, just stay in the boat and let me do my thing. Or I can go with Yuta if you don’t want to come at all.”

Stupid Mark and his stupid ambitiousness. Donghyuck wanted the best for their crew, too, of course he did, but going somewhere that dangerous wasn’t worth it. Mark wasn't invincible, he seemed to forget that sometimes. Donghyuck would never get it out of his mind. He couldn’t even stand to look at Mark, so he turned around, staring at the nearest palm tree and wishing it would burst into flames to match how he was feeling inside. He hated the stinging he felt behind his eyes.

He heard Mark set down his buckets as well, but didn’t move. He didn’t even blink. “It’s really not that big of a deal, I know better than to swim near the piranhas.” Mark set his hand on his shoulder but Donghyuck brushed it off, stepping away. He shook his head, anger burning in his throat as he carded his fingers through his hair, tugging at the strands. “Hyuck-”

“God, Mark, can’t you just _shut up and listen_ to me for once? It’s not safe and I’m not going to sit around and watch you get yourself ripped to pieces and eaten alive just for a chance of getting rich! It’s stupid!” Donghyuck was panting when he finished yelling, his throat dry and aching from the words. He willed himself to shake away the image of what he’d just said. _And I can’t lose you._

Mark was silent behind him as Donghyuck wiped at his eyes, cheeks burning with embarrassment. But the silence stretched and lasted too long. Donghyuck sniffled, confused. Mark always yelled back, pushing Donghyuck’s buttons just as he did his, on and on until they’d fall apart and makeup with murmured apologies and lingering touches. So why was he silent, why didn’t he reach out? _Did I say too much?_

Donghyuck turned around slowly, trying to hide his insecurity behind the tight set of his jaw. Mark was standing perfectly still, his mouth pressed shut. He was looking right through Donghyuck, his eyes glazed over with grey as if filled with smoke.

“Wha-,” Donghyuck stuttered, forgetting about being mad as confusion and worry took over. “Mark? Hello?” He stepped closer and waved his hand in front of the other’s face but Mark didn’t even blink, he was like a statue. Silent and unmoving. Fear started to crawl up Donghyuck’s spine so he risked it and took Mark’s face in his hands, shaking him carefully. “Mark?” He said again, but got no answer. “Mark, _wake up_!”

Mark blinked. Once, twice, before the fog in his eyes seemed to clear, the glazed look gone. Donghyuck saw his pupils dilate as he took in a shaky inhale before stumbling away from Donghyuck, shock mixed with fear morphing his usual soft expression, the one Mark had around him when they weren’t fighting like this. Mark fisted the front of his own shirt, eyes wide as he took a stuttering breath. “What- what did _you do?_ ”

Donghyuck flinched, stunned. Then he frowned, flailing his arms as he answered. “Me? I didn’t do anything! You just zoned out, weirdo!”

Mark opened his mouth to retaliate but was cut off by someone yelling from the distance. They both turned their heads to see Jaehyun waving his arms in the air, motioning for them to hurry. “Mark! Donghyuck! Come back to the ship, Taeyong fell from the sails and broke his wrist.”

Mark let out a gasp and Donghyuck rushed to pick up his buckets. Worry for their friend took over the confusion of what had happened as they headed back to Morning Star as quick as they could.

Back on the deck, they found Taeyong sitting down on a crate by the rails with a dopey smile on his face as he stared at Doyoung who was chastising him and holding his uninjured hand while Taeil was working on the injured one on his other side. It seemed like he’d already given Taeyong something for the pain, with the way their captain didn’t even seem to notice what Taeil was doing.

Mark set his buckets down and ran over, Donghyuck following suit. “Taeyong, are you alright?” Taeyong turned his head to smile at Mark and Donghyuck as they approached him and the corners of Donghyuck’s mouth turned downwards when he saw the dark bruises on Taeyong’s shirtless body. His right shoulder and ribs were blooming with purple, the sight making Donghyuck’s own body ache.

Taeyong smacked his mouth, leaning in to rest his head on Doyoung’s shoulder before he was stopped by the other holding him back and muttering at him to stay still. “I’m okay,” Taeyong said, drawing out the words. Doyoung rolled his eyes.

“What happened?” Donghyuck asked, doing his best to ignore the way Mark tensed next to him.

Yuta heard his question just as he walked over from the forecastle and handed Taeil something that probably used to be an old pillowcase but now looked like a sling. “Yongie tripped on his way down from the sails. He was able to hold on to one of the ropes but the fall was still high. Don’t worry, he didn’t hit his head, Taeil just gave him a concoction for the pain.”

“‘M sleepy,” Taeyong mumbled at Doyoung just as Taeil rose, carefully folding Taeyong’s arm towards his chest, his wrist now bandaged and supported by thin wooden splinters. Doyoung helped Taeil get Taeyong’s arm inside the makeshift sling and tied the fabric behind Taeyong’s neck before pressing a kiss there, letting Taeyong lean back against his chest with a barely suppressed yawn.

“We should let him sleep the medicine off, just for a few hours,” Taeil said. “He shouldn’t come with us to the sea today, though. It’s better if he stays back ashore and rests.”

Doyoung nodded and started leading now half-asleep Taeyong towards the captain’s cabin. Yuta crossed his arms over his chest, sighing. “Someone should probably stay back with him.”

Donghyuck gazed at Mark, who was looking after Doyoung and Taeyong. He thought of the look in Mark’s eyes after he’d woken up from his weird daze and how he hadn’t even glanced at Donghyuck after they’d come back. He swallowed past the lump in his throat before speaking. “I’ll stay.”

Taeyong rested his free arm on Donghyuck’s shoulder as they watched the rest of the crew prepare to leave, standing on the pier by the Morning Star. Whatever Taeil had given Taeyong had worn off during the two hours he’d slept and Donghyuck could see that he was in pain. His friend tried to mask it but Donghyuck knew him well enough to notice the tight set of his jaw, the strong breaths he took through his nose. Donghyuck would’ve said something if he hadn’t already known that Taeyong would deny being in pain even when the bruising on his shoulder was visible from the low neckline of his shirt.

So instead of speaking, Donghyuck watched as Yuta mastered the sails with Jaehyun and Doyoung’s help. He brought his hand up to hold the one Taeyong was dangling over his chest and was pleased with the small smile Taeyong gave him as he intertwined their fingers. Donghyuck couldn’t take his friend’s pain away but he could give him comfort, and that’s what he was going to do.

As the ship left the port with Johnny manning the helm, Donghyuck’s heart seized in his chest. Mark was standing on the deck but his back was facing the pier and he was looking up at the sails. Even when it felt like his throat was going to close in, Donghyuck couldn’t help but take a small step forward and yell the words he always did when they separated. “Be safe!”

He held his breath and waited until Mark turned his head to the side, still not looking at him, and nodded once. Donghyuck let out a long breath then, his shoulders relaxing as Taeyong turned them around and they started walking towards the town centre. They planned to see if the mayor would buy the pearls they’d collected, maybe to make a necklace for his wife. The island they were living by at the moment wasn’t very rich, but the town gained quite well from selling spots for stalls at the market for outsiders like the Morning Star crew.

“You fought with Mark,” Taeyong said as they passed a small group of children playing tag. It wasn’t a question.

Donghyuck sighed. “Who told you? Was it Jaehyun?” He’d probably seen them yelling at each other when he’d ran to get them back to the ship.

“No one needed to tell me.” There was laughter in Taeyong’s voice when he spoke, but it died down quickly as he hovered a hand over his ribs. “It was easy to see from the way the both of you were acting. You stayed back with me to avoid him, didn’t you?”

“Is it that hard to believe I want to spend time with you?” Donghyuck whined, even though the other was right.

Taeyong stopped walking and pulled Donghyuck to stand in the shade of a tree. “No, Hyuckie,” he said, reaching up the fix the sling around his neck with a grimace. “But you always prefer to go wherever Mark goes. So what’s the deal this time? Why haven’t you patched things up without worry like usual?”

The lump in Donghyuck’s throat was back. “It wasn’t- it isn’t like the other times.” He struggled to find words, thinking of the ones Mark had said to him after his eyes went back to normal. _What did you do?_ “Something is different,” he admitted, at last, averting his gaze to the ground, “and I think it’s because of me.”

He couldn't see Taeyong's frown but he knew it was there. “What do you mean?”

Donghyuck took in a long breath before he stepped closer to Taeyong, searching his eyes. “Have you ever been scared of yourself?”

“Wh- what?” Taeyong stuttered, taken aback by the question. Donghyuck saw something he couldn’t identify flash behind the other’s eyes before it was gone and Taeyong rested a warm and comforting hand on Donghyuck’s shoulder. “I don’t think I have, no. Hyuckie-”

“I think I’m a little scared of myself.” The confession spilt past his lips and brought tears into his eyes. He thought about the shock on Mark’s face, the underlying fear. _And I think Mark is, too._

Donghyuck was careful not to hold on too tight when he was pulled into Taeyong’s arms. “It’s okay. I’ve got you, kid.”

The pouch of gold coins jingled where it was tied on Taeyong’s belt as they walked back towards the port. Even before they’d tried to get a hold of the town mayor, they’d come across a rich traveller who had been generous with her offer for the three pearls. Taeyong had almost refused the number of coins the tall and lively woman had offered them, but she had insisted, gesturing at the multiple pouches she had on her waist. Donghyuck had laughed in his excitement and he couldn’t wait to show their win to Mark. _See, stupid? There’s no need to do reckless things._

They were passed by two teenage boys and Donghyuck heard a snippet of their conversation. “-said that the storm was bigger than he’s seen for months. I’m glad he decided to come home early and didn’t get caught in it.”

It seemed like Taeyong had heard the words too, because he grabbed onto Donghyuck’s arm just as he was about to turn to the other. “Excuse me,” Taeyong called out to the boys, who turned around to look at them with raised brows. “Did you say there’s a storm out there?”

The shorter one of the boys nodded. “Out on the sea, yes. My brother saw it himself, he said it was bad.”

Donghyuck and Taeyong shared a brief, worried look before they rushed to the port.

Donghyuck didn’t let himself feel unsettled until they reached the third pier and found the place that Morning Star had taken to occupying during the past month empty. The ship next to that space seemed to just have come to the pier, its sails ripped and the crew looking worse for wear. Instinctively, Donghyuck brought his hand up to his throat, letting his fingers fidget with the wooden beads of his necklace. Taeyong looked a little pale as he wrapped his arm around Donghyuck’s waist and started guiding him away. “Let’s head to the beach and wait for them there. If they got caught up in the storm, they’ll- they might be a bit lost.”

Donghyuck nodded stiffly, letting Taeyong lead him to the beach by the port where they sat down on the sand and waited. Donghyuck did his best to stay positive, to push away the images of Morning Star being helplessly thrown around by the angry sea. He didn’t let his hand fall away from his necklace.

Donghyuck had been dozing off against Taeyong’s shoulder when he was shaken awake rather violently. “They’re here, Hyuckie!” Taeyong’s voice was full of relief and Donghyuck was pulled up before he had time to register the words. But when he saw Morning Star’s shape against the sunset, that same relief that had been in Taeyong’s voice settled in his chest and he let his hand fall from his throat. _They’re here._

Then, just as Taeyong took his first step towards the pier, Donghyuck grabbed onto the back of his shirt. “The main mast is broken,” he said, staring at the silhouette of their ship. It looked so naked like that. Taeyong took a double-take at it before he sighed and grabbed onto Donghyuck’s wrist with his healthy hand, starting to walk towards the pier with spring in his steps. “No wonder they’re back so late. They don't have the mainsails nor a lookout.”

“Aren’t you upset?” Donghyuck questioned. “It’s technically your ship and it will take several days to fix that.”

“I was fearing a worse,” Taeyong admitted as they stepped on the pier. “As long as the figurehead isn’t damaged, I’ll be fine.”

Donghyuck smiled sadly. “I’m sure she’s alright, Taeyongie.”

They reached Morning Star just as the anchor was dropped and the walkway was let down. Doyoung was the first one to rush down to the pier and straight to Taeyong who let out a relieved noise at the sight of him. Donghyuck frowned. Doyoung’s eyes were wide with worry and once he met eyes with Donghyuck, his gaze flickered behind him as if he’d expected someone else to be there as well. “Is Mark here?”

Taeyong stiffened and Donghyuck’s frown deepened, weighed down by confusion. “Of course not,” he answered, a bit of harshness to his tone. “What are you talking about?”

The rest of their crew had come down from the ship as well, but as Donghyuck’s eyes roamed over them, he noticed his best friend wasn’t among them. They were all looking at him like they didn’t know what to do with themselves. Donghyuck’s hand twitched with the urge to reach for his necklace but he curled it into a fist instead. “What’s going on?” He asked, looking from Taeil to Jaehyun. “Are you guys pulling a joke on me? Did he make you do this?” Donghyuck rolled his eyes and looked up to the fading red and orange of the sky. “Look, I’m sorry I fought with him, just tell me where he’s hiding and I’ll go make it up to him.”

Donghyuck looked back down and met Johnny’s eyes when the other stepped forward and cleared his throat. Once he saw how shiny Johnny’s eyes were, Donghyuck knew the last thing he wanted was to hear what he was going to stay. “We’re not pulling a joke, Hyuckie. Mark was the lookout today.”

Donghyuck’s heart missed a beat as his eyes flickered to the broken mainmast. Then it plummeted down to his stomach and he was shaking his head before Johnny even continued talking. “The storm hit us so fast, he didn’t have time to get down on the deck and then-” Johnny’s voice broke and Donghyuck felt like his world was turning backwards. “Then lightning hit the mast and it broke. The other half fell into the sea.”

 _No. No, no, no._ Donghyuck shook his head again, trying to keep his breathing from getting frantic. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. It couldn’t be true.

“Once the storm passed, we spent hours looking for Mark but we couldn’t find him so we headed back here hoping someone else came across him and brought him to port.”

“You’re lying,” Donghyuck tried to say, but it came out as a whisper. Johnny was crying, tears steadily flowing down his cheeks and when Donghyuck searched the faces of their friends, he found nothing but sorrow in their expressions. He staggered back, a choked-up sound escaping his throat. “No,” he said, and it was nothing but a plea. _It can’t be._

The first sob was raw and painful, scratching through Donghyuck’s chest as it came. “No!” He tried to yell, but it ended up being a whimper as a rift opened in his chest and he tasted nothing but pain and the salt of his own tears.

Taeil stepped past Johnny and tried to reach for his hands. “Hyuckie, he’s probably still out there. He’s a great swimmer, one of the best, we all know that.” Donghyuck stepped out of his reach, his vision blurring as he pressed his hands against his chest, feeling something building up inside. It was simmering, bubbling and ready to burst. Donghyuck was ready to burst, the necklace around his neck feeling like it was choking him.

“Donghyuck, Mark would want you to calm do-”

Donghyuck shut his eyes tight and covered his ears with his hands before he screamed. He screamed like never before in his life, doubling over with the force of it as he let go of whatever had been building up inside of him, something that was made of guilt and anger and most of all pain.

Donghyuck loved the sea. He had forgiven it for taking his birth-parents from him, he had forgiven it and built his whole life around it. But he would rip it apart with his bare hands and cover his own wounds with the salt if it took Mark away from him, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [My twitter](https://twitter.com/kunclipse)


	3. Unknown Sickness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> But as he wept silently with his shoulders shaking, tears falling off the bridge of his nose and dampening the wood beneath him, Donghyuck could only come up with two things he wanted to do. Curl up and wither away or run into the sea as if he could find Mark if he was desperate enough, if he begged enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, sweets!  
> I hope you enjoy this chapter <3

On his knees with his bones aching and throat burning, Donghyuck let his hands fall from his ears and pressed them against the wood of the pier next to his head as he cried. He knew he should do something, that crying wouldn’t help anyone, least of all Mark. But as he wept silently with his shoulders shaking, tears falling off the bridge of his nose and dampening the wood beneath him, Donghyuck could only come up with two things he wanted to do. Curl up and wither away or run into the sea as if he could find Mark if he was desperate enough, if he begged enough. But neither of those things were helpful. 

Donghyuck winced at the hollowing pain in his heart, gritting his teeth to fight against the thought that Mark could be _gone_. It simply couldn’t be true. He was _Mark_. Steady, bright, always there for him. Donghyuck covered his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt as a series of coughs ripped through his throat and brought fresh tears into his eyes. Only once he’d stopped and was heaving into the wooden boards of the pier did Donghyuck tune into the eerie silence around him. In the distance, he could hear the sounds of ships and their crews, but around him was dead silent. 

Donghyuck pushed his upper body off the ground, rubbing his hand against his aching forehead and fighting against the wave of dizziness that washed over him. He opened his eyes and froze. All his friends were laying on the pier, unconscious. Donghyuck’s heart jumped to his throat as he looked at them scattered about with their limbs in peculiar positions as if they’d just dropped and fallen asleep. Yuta was laying right by the edge of the pier and if he’d dropped even a bit further away, he would have fallen into the water. A violent shiver ran down Donghyuck’s spine as he scrambled over to Taeil who was nearest to him. 

“Taeil,” he croaked, the word hurting his throat. He shook his friend’s shoulder and was relieved when Taeil’s eyelids fluttered before he brought a hand up to press it over Donghyuck’s to stop him from shaking him, furrowing his brows. Taeil opened his eyes and stared up at Donghyuck with an utterly confused expression. 

“What happened?” He asked, letting go of Donghyuck’s hand and pressing his own against his forehead instead. When he sat up, his eyes widened at the sight of their passed out crew. “What on earth?”

Donghyuck fought against another coughing fit as he spoke, fiddling with his necklace. “I don’t- don’t know,” he mumbled, fear making his chest feel tight. _What did you do?_ “I just-”

Donghyuck snapped his mouth shut when he heard yelling from the other pier behind him. “Hey! Can anyone help me? There was a boy stranded on the sea, I need help carrying him out of the boat!” Taeil’s eyes widened and Donghyuck whipped his head around so fast it hurt his neck. _Could it be?_ Donghyuck was up and running before he had time to think about anything else. He nearly tripped on a misplaced blank and fell on his face but managed to stay upright. His throat and lungs were burning and he felt like his body was weighing thousand tons but he couldn’t stop. _Please, please, please._

It was a middle-aged fisherman who had yelled for help, waving at Donghyuck from where he sat at the other end of his small boat. Donghyuck staggered to a stop once he reached it, his gaze zeroing in on the body lying in the middle of the boat, resting against a bundle of ropes and nets. Mark’s skin was pale and glistening in the last rays of the setting sun, his lips a faint purple colour and his clothes ripped from places, a few cuts showing themselves between the gaps. Donghyuck swallowed down the noise that threatened to bubble up from his throat. He carelessly jumped into the boat, making it dip dangerously while the fisherman yelped.

Donghyuck was blind to all this as he fell to his knees next to Mark and pressed his hands against the sides of his throat - right above where Mark’s necklace had persisted and stayed in its place - feeling for his pulse. He had to make sure, he had to _know_ Mark was really there, that he was alive and Donghyuck hadn’t just lost his mind and conjured up very realistic hallucinations. With soft thuds meeting his fingers, Mark’s skin warm against his cold hands, Donghyuck let himself cry again. Tears of relief ran silently down his cheeks as he smiled, brushing Mark’s salty hair out if his forehead before letting his fingers wander down the side of his face, over his cheekbone, ghosting over his lips.

Mark’s nose twitched and he furrowed his brows before he blinked his eyes open. They were reddened but still gleamed beautifully and Donghyuck, unable to get a word out of his mouth, just kept smiling at him softly. The corners of Mark’s mouth lifted slightly before he reached out a shaky hand to swipe his thumb over Donghyuck’s cheek. It came out wet. “Why are you crying, Hyuck-ah?” He asked, a teasing lilt in his voice even though he sounded exhausted and like his throat was as dry as a desert.

Donghyuck had an urge to hit him but he bit back a sob instead, taking hold of Mark’s hand and squeezing. “What am I going to do with you, Mark Lee?” He mumbled, voice wavering for too many reasons. “The one time I don’t come with you to keep you out of trouble and you decide to take a swimming trip during a storm.” 

The grin that took over Mark’s face was bright, so bright. Donghyuck felt like he would be alright as long as he could keep seeing that sight. Mark brought their intertwined hands to his face, resting his cheek against the back of Donghyuck’s hand before he spoke. “I promise I’ll invite you with me next time, lily pad.”

With those words, Donghyuck felt the tension in his shoulders gradually melt away, fresh tears brimming in his eyes. He tried to hide them as he leaned forward to bury his face into the crook of Mark’s neck, ignoring the strong scent of seawater and focusing on the way the rift in his chest slowly mended itself, making it easier to breathe. 

He shivered when Mark brought a hand up to cup the back of his neck. Only then did Donghyuck realize he had been trembling, from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. He was able to enjoy the moment for a few heartbeats longer before all the guilt washed over him. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, breathing the words against his best friend’s neck. “I’m so sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” _What did you do?_

The hand on his neck tightened its hold and Mark drew in a breath, ready to speak, but he was interrupted by a string of yells. “Mark!”, “Oh, thank heavens!”, “Mark Lee, I could kiss you!”

Mark’s surprised laughter was raspy but Donghyuck still found himself chuckling along as he pulled back from Mark and stood up, helping Mark find his footing on the boat as well. Donghyuck grinned when he saw the relieved and happy expressions on their friends’ faces at the sight of Mark, their hands reaching out to help him out of the boat. 

Once he was on the pier, Mark was enveloped in a hug from all sides and Donghyuck enjoyed the squeaky giggles it emitted from his best friend. But as he looked at his friends pinching Mark’s cheeks and offering him water from their flasks, a sick feeling settled into the pit of Donghyuck’s stomach. Just a few moments before, they’d been lying unconscious next to Morning Star after Donghyuck had screamed his throat raw. _What did you do?_

He swallowed thickly as he made to step onto the pier but nearly fell into the water when hit by a stroke of dizziness. He would have fallen if it weren’t for strong hands grabbing his hips and helping him scramble onto the pier. Donghyuck held onto Jaehyun’s arm as he tried to regain his balance, his breaths coming out weirdly strained. “Thanks,” he mumbled, the pain in his throat making him grimace.

Jaehyun frowned, searching his eyes, but Donghyuck averted his gaze. “Are you okay?” He asked and before Donghyuck could nod his worries away, Jaehyun reached up to feel his forehead. Donghyuck, slowly being taken over by fatigue, didn’t have the energy to pull away and Jaehyun’s frown deepened until he let his hand fall, eyes full of concern. “Hyuckie, you’re _cold_.” 

Donghyuck took a small step away from Jaehyun, still holding onto his arm because he didn’t trust his legs with the way it seemed like the pier was moving below them even as he stood still. “I’m fine,” he tried to reassure his friend, his voice coming out as a croak. He was going to say more but hurried to cover his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt as he started coughing. It was an ugly sound, truly, something that one would never think could come out of Donghyuck and it burned his chest as it came. 

His eyes watered once the coughing ceased. Taeil’s voice came from a few feet away, “Hey, Hyuckie, what’s wrong?”

Donghyuck shook his head, letting his hand fall from his face as he opened his eyes to meet Taeil’s widened ones. Everyone else was staring at him too and Donghyuck couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt uncomfortable to be the centre of attention among the crew. His hand didn’t have time to fall back to his side before Jaehyun gasped and gripped his arm tightly. Donghyuck turned his head to look at his friend in confusion but found his gaze following Jaehyun’s shocked one, turning back to his hand. The sleeve of Donghyuck's shirt was splattered with blood. He licked his dry lips and recognized the metallic taste in his mouth. _That’s not good._

“Oh my- Donghyuck!” Taeil rushed over, tearing his gaze from Donghyuck’s sleeve to search his face, to touch his forehead and his chest, feeling for his pulse. Donghyuck looked up from his friend’s fiery red hair to meet eyes with Mark across the pier. The fear in Mark’s gaze clenched Donghyuck’s heart and he hated to be the one worrying him just when he’d managed to survive from the throes of a storm.

“I’m fine,” he mouthed, but couldn’t even convince himself, not when he felt like he was going to slump against Jaehyun any moment. _What’s wrong with me?_

“Your pulse is... slow. ” Taeil looked utterly lost as he felt Donghyuck’s throat for any swelling. He sighed as he wrapped an arm around Donghyuck’s, who was glad for the extra support, starting to lead him towards their pier, Jaehyun on Donghyuck’s other side. The happiness of Mark’s safe return had quickly dissipated from the group and Donghyuck felt guilt weigh down on his shoulders. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, barely audible.

No one seemed to hear him.

“You need rest,” Taeil told Mark as soon as he had made sure he hadn’t suffered any major damage from falling into the sea and being thrown around by angry waves. “Plenty of rest and hydration.” The few cuts and scratches on Mark’s chest and arms had been cleaned, not needing any more attention than that. There had been splinters in his palms, ones that Taeil had carefully picked out and both Taeil and Donghyuck had pretended to not hear his winces. Mark had held onto the broken mast to stay afloat, he’d told them. It had taken Donghyuck a while to get that image out of his head. Mark was there now. He was there, he was safe and he was with him. 

Donghyuck stiffened where he sat on a stool in the corner of the room when Mark made to stand up and leave. Taeil only glanced at him for a short moment before he placed a hand on Mark’s arm. “You can stay here for the night,” he told Mark, nodding at the bed the other had just been sitting on. “Taeyong and Doyoung can suffer the rest of our company for one night. You really need to rest, Mark,” Taeil grinned, “doctor’s orders.”

The lack of protest from Mark’s part made it even more evident how exhausted he was. Donghyuck’s shoulders relaxed as he watched his best friend undo the lacings of his boots and pulling them off before lying down. Taeil turned his head towards Donghyuck then, motioning for him to take Mark’s previous place at the foot of the bed. Donghyuck hadn’t let himself be checked out before Mark had been and for once he hadn’t been swayed by the other's pleading eyes.

 _I really am fine_ , he wanted to say as he walked over with shaky legs and sat down in front of Taeil. He could feel Mark’s gaze on the side of his face though, and the furrow of Taeil’s brow told him his words wouldn’t matter. So he succumbed to his fate silently as Taeil went on to once more press his hand against his forehead and then the back of his neck. Maybe Donghyuck would have said something, would have told Taeil to stop worrying so much or demanded that Mark closed his eyes and slept, but he was too afraid to open his mouth lest another fit of coughs would take over him. 

“I don’t understand,” Taeil mumbled to himself as he retracted his hands from Donghyuck, the furrow of his brows deepening. “I’d expect you to feel warm to the touch, even hot, but you’re so cold.”

“He’s always had cooler skin than others,” Mark mumbled from the side where he had his head nestled on top of his hands. He was staring at Donghyuck like he was scared he was going to fall over any moment. He wasn’t. 

Taeil hummed in agreement before flickering his gaze over to Mark. “But it has never been this cold, has it?”

Mark was quick to sit up again as if all his tiredness had dissipated into the air. He shuffled closer until he could press the palm of his hand against the back of Donghyuck’s neck. Donghyuck struggled to not close his eyes and lean into the touch, but it was hard. Mark was so _warm_. His best friend let out a confused noise before retracting his hand and frowning at him, mirroring Taeil’s expression. “No, never that cold,” he confirmed Taeil’s suspicions. “I’ve never touched snow,” Mark went on to mumble, back to his sleepy self from before, “but I imagine that’s how cold it is.”

Donghyuck rolled his eyes and Taeil chuckled, waving Mark’s words away with a flicker of his wrist. “He’s not _that_ cold, thankfully. But it’s still not normal.”

“You’ve touched snow?” Donghyuck whispered, too awed to stay quiet. His throat was still aching, but it wasn’t as bad as before.

Taeil nodded as he grabbed Donghyuck’s hand and felt for his pulse from the wrist. Mark let out a curious noise as he leaned closer to Donghyuck and Donghyuck could practically feel the warmth radiating off him even when they weren’t touching. It was hypnotizing. “I didn’t know mainland has snow.”

“It didn’t where I lived, at least not in the village. But there was a mountain nearby that my sister enjoyed trekking on and during colder months there would be snow near the peak.” There was a smile on Taeil’s lips, but the look in his eyes was longing. He let go of Donghyuck’s wrist to pat on his chest and around his ribs.

Donghyuck reached his hand up to touch one of the red strands of Taeil’s hair. The colour would likely start fading within a week or two. “Do you miss her?”

“A lot,” Taeil admitted easily, though shook his head when Donghyuck pouted in sympathy. “But I’m very happy here and I know she’s happy in our home village. I’ll send her a letter once we pass by one the mainland harbours again.”

Donghyuck smiled then, satisfied with that answer, and let his hand fall back on his lap. Mark shifted next to him and Donghyuck waited for him to lie back down. Once he realized that wasn’t happening, he turned to Mark and narrowed his eyes. “Rest,” he whispered, not comfortable with raising his voice higher than that.

Mark sighed as he leaned back on his elbow before letting his back hit the thin mattress. Still, he refused to close his eyes and Donghyuck was going to complain about it before Taeil tapped on his thigh to get his attention. “How are you feeling, Hyuckie? Does it hurt anywhere? When you breathe, for example?

Donghyuck shook his head. “No, no, my throat is just a little sore. Mainly I feel like I could sleep for a whole week.”

Taeil nodded, stroking his chin with one hand. “I’ve never heard of these kinds of symptoms before,” he said and the fact seemed to trouble him. “It makes sense for your throat to hurt after screaming like that,” Donghyuck saw Mark stiffen from the corner of his eye and swallowed, ”but the blood, your cold skin and this amount of fatigue, it doesn’t make sense to me.”

Donghyuck bit the inside of his cheek softly, already dreading having to tell Mark what had happened. He met Taeil’s ever worried gaze and let out a small breath. “Is there a sickness that could make me affects others like- like how I did?”

Taeil shook his head. “No, not one I know of.” Donghyuck felt himself deflate a little bit. “But we can’t be sure if it was because of you,” Taeil tried to console him, but it didn’t sound like he believed much of it himself. Donghyuck couldn’t blame him. Everyone else but Donghyuck had passed out and he had been screaming. It was hard _not_ to put two and two together. What was hard was understanding the how or the why.

A gentle hand patted Donghyuck on the shoulder and Taeil stood up from his stool. “What’s important right now is for you to rest and to get your body heat back to a more normal level. I want you to stay here with Mark for the night so either of you can come to get me if something changes with your conditions. I’ll go make you something to drink for your throat, I’ll be right back, okay?”

Donghyuck nodded and watched as Taeil left the room, closing the door behind himself. His footsteps echoed faintly across the deck as Donghyuck bent down to take off his boots. The silence in the room was tense and Donghyuck wasn’t surprised when Mark finally broke it. “What happened?” 

Donghyuck really, _really_ didn’t want to have that conversation. He had no idea what to say to Mark. “I’ll tell you after,” he mumbled, nodding towards the door Taeil had stepped out of moments ago. 

Mark shifted on the bed before Donghyuck felt a warm hand slide over his own on the mattress. “Hey,” his best friend whispered, and who was Donghyuck to not look at him when he called for him. He turned his head to stare into Mark’s eyes, glimmering in the low light of the room, courtesy of the oil lamp on the table by the bed. “You’re not alone,” Mark said, sincere. Donghyuck knew that he meant it and he knew that he believed it, but that small hollow corner in his heart stubbornly tried to convince him otherwise. Yet, he lifted the corners of his mouth into a feeble smile to please Mark.

The door to the captain’s cabin opened and Taeil came back in, blindly shutting it again with his foot as he balanced a pile of quilts in his arms, one hand holding tightly onto a glass vial. Donghyuck quickly realised that the quilts weren’t just any quilts, but the ones from Mark and his beds, having been made by Mark’s mother before they’d left their home island to live as sailors. “These should help you get warm,” Taeil said before huffing as he set them down on the bed. Donghyuck’s quilt was dark green of colour, black lines decorating it to make it look like a leaf. Mark’s was blue with white streaks resembling foamy waves.

“Drink up,” Taeil commanded when he handed the vial over to Donghyuck, who took the small thing in his hand and eyed it suspiciously. The liquid inside was brown and thick, making his nose wrinkle up in disgust. Taeil sighed. “It’s not meant to taste pleasant, Hyuckie, it’s meant to make your throat feel better. Go on.”

Donghyuck succumbed to his fate under Taeil’s scrutinizing stare, ignoring the way Mark chuckled at him as he unfolded their quilts onto the bed. He uncorked the vial and didn’t let himself hesitate before throwing his head back and letting the contents drip into his mouth, swallowing the moment they reached the back of his tongue. The taste was pungent, setting off a shudder that went from the base of his neck to his toes. Both Taeil and Mark snickered at him as he squeezed his eyes shut and let out a low whine behind his closed mouth. The bad taste was gone as quickly as it came, though, and it left a warm feeling at its wake, soothing the soreness of his throat. Donghyuck licked his lips and opened his eyes before handing the empty vial back to Taeil.

Taeil patted his head affectionately before sending a warm smile over to Mark who had already curled up under his own quilt, tucked up to his chin. “I’ll be on my way now, but remember to come to get me if something happens, if Hyuckie starts coughing again, for example. I’ll be checking up on you as soon as the sun rises nonetheless, okay? Goodnight.” He ruffled Donghyuck’s hair before heading back to the door.

Donghyuck pulled his feet onto the bed before he spoke softly, “I love you, Taeillie.” Mark echoed the words behind him as Donghyuck laid down and threw his quilt over himself, burrowing into the comforting feeling of the fabric. 

Taeil turned with his hand on the doorknob, a grin on his lips and a twinkle in his eyes. “I love you too,” he said, waving his hand as a goodbye before he stepped through the door and closed it quietly, leaving the room in a silence that settled on Donghyuck like another heavy blanket. 

He swallowed, knowing that Mark was staring at the back of his head, waiting. Yet he couldn’t find the words, couldn’t arrange them inside his mind, let alone speak them aloud. The silence stretched as Donghyuck fidgeted with his fingers under the quilt before Mark let out a loud breath through his nose. “Hyuckie,” he started, a hand coming up to tug at the back of his shirt, “what happened? Taeil said you were screaming-”

Donghyuck turned around, settling on his other side with his gaze fixated on the white details of Mark’s quilt instead of his face. He couldn’t look at his face. ”I couldn’t bear it,” he whispered, doing his best to blink away the tears brimming in his eyes. “When they came to the pier without you and told me what happened, I couldn’t handle it, okay? I- I don’t know I just-” the tears started falling and it was getting harder to breathe, ”you were- and I couldn’t-”

Mark shushed him as he pulled Donghyuck into his arms, one arm wrapping around this hips while the other cradled the back of his head, guiding Donghyuck’s face into the crook of his neck. “I’m here, I’ve got you,” Mark murmured, his lips brushing the shell of Donghyuck’s ear and he whimpered through a sob as he grabbed onto the front of Mark shirt, feeling for his pulse with his palm pressed over Mark’s heart. His breath stuttered when he felt it, steady and strong, more tears spilling down his cheeks. Donghyuck wanted to drown into the comfort and warmth, memories of scratched up knees, piggyback rides and a pond inside the forest passing behind his closed eyelids. _He’s here. I’m here. We’re here._

“It took over me completely,” he admitted quietly, voice wavering. “I felt like my chest was going to cave in so I didn’t think, I just started screaming.” Mark’s thumb was rubbing circles against the side of his neck and Donghyuck wanted to melt into the touch. But he pulled back, just enough to be able to look the other in the eyes. “They all passed out, Mark,” he said, swallowing at the way Mark’s eyes widened. “When I stopped and looked around, they were just lying there, unconscious. Everyone but me.” _What did you do?_ Donghyuck’s brow twitched with the painfulness of his thoughts. “Something’s wrong with me.”

Mark didn’t deny his words, but how could’ve he? It was crystal clear. Something was wrong with Donghyuck. Instead, his best friend cupped his cheek to gain his attention back. It looked like something was burning behind Mark's dark eyes and his expression was nothing but serious when he spoke, “We’ll figure it out, Hyuck-ah. _We_ will. Not you alone, not even just the two of us, but the whole crew. We all love you and we’ll help you no matter what.” 

Donghyuck averted his gaze down onto Mark’s necklace, caressing the tips of his fingers over the white beads. “What if I’m cursed?” He whispered. 

Mark pulled him closer and Donghyuck pressed his face against his chest, inhaling deeply. “Then we find out how to undo it,” Mark said, like it was as easy as that. Still, Donghyuck’s shoulders relaxed. Maybe, with Mark and the others by his side, it could be as easy as that.

“I love you.”

“I love you too, lily pad.”

It took two days until Mark recovered completely. He already claimed he was fine on the first day, but Taeil forced him to have one more day of rest. Donghyuck, on the other hand, slept through the entire first day. On the second day, his throat wasn’t hurting anymore and his body heat had risen to a more normal level, but he was still tired deep into his bones. So he slept most of the second day as well, Mark in the room to keep him company. On the third day, Mark was already back to work as soon as the sun had risen, but Taeil refused to let Donghyuck out of the captain’s cabin, worried about his loss of appetite. 

“I’m fine, Taeil,” he’d insisted, taking a small bite of the fish Jaehyun had cooked for lunch and trying to swallow it without bending over from the feeling of nausea in his stomach. Jaehyun’s cooking was amazing, but Donghyuck wasn’t able to taste much of anything. Even when he jutted his bottom lip out and did his best to plead with his eyes, Taeil didn’t pudge.

Finally, on the fourth day, Donghyuck was back on his feet and slowly feeling like himself again. Him, Taeyong, Doyoung and Mark were all gathered around a round table in the captain’s cabin, staring down at the big map Doyoung had spread over it. Donghyuck watched as Doyoung traced his fingers over the blue expanse of the sea and the green shapes of the islands until he reached the near-edge of the map where the mainland started. “We’ve already gathered some supplies during the past few days, but since it is a long sail, we’ll need to stop by an island or two on the way,” Taeyong said, resting his uninjured hand on Doyoung’s shoulder as the other stared intensely at the map, planning the route they were to take.

Donghyuck needed to talk to his parents, - the people who had raised him - he’d decided on the second day after he’d woken up. He needed to talk to them about his birth-parents, whether one of them had some kind of rare illness that could’ve passed onto Donghyuck, or if there was a family curse he’d inherited. The only thing Donghyuck knew about them was that they’d both died at sea quickly after he was born. He hadn’t really cared to know more until now. He loved his parents and he was happy living his life in the present, letting the past stay in the past where it belonged. 

The rest of the crew had agreed on Donghyuck’s request in a heartbeat and Donghyuck had felt his heart swell with love. These people cared for him, even when he’d done scary and unexplainable things, and Donghyuck loved them to bits. That was exactly what he had told them when they’d all come to the captain’s cabin, squeezing into the tight space next to the bed with their shoulders brushing. Donghyuck had found himself being hugged and coddled for the next five minutes, enjoying every second of it with a bright smile on his face. Yuta had even kissed his cheek before grinning at Mark. 

Doyoung cleared his throat before he pointed at an island near the middle of the map, one in the middle of two other islands in the shape of a half-circle. “We’re here right now,” he said, before dragging his finger straight through the map to its upper right corner, where a lone island stood, almost out of the map. “This is where we’re heading.” Doyoung brought his hand back lower before tapping on a big island that seemed to be placed perfectly on their route. “Here is a perfect spot to resupply on the way, I’ve heard it’s quite a popular spot for passing sailors.” 

Mark leaned closer to look at the island Doyoung was pointing at, his hair falling over his eyes as he did so. “What about the other stop?”

Doyoung let out a breath through his nose before he circled his finger over a cluster of smaller islands near the mainland. “It could be here, although I don’t know much about these islands, or-”

“Could we make the other stop by a mainland harbour?” Donghyuck interjected, smiling sheepishly when everyone looked up at him with confused expressions. 

Taeyong frowned. “That would be a detour, Hyuckie. It would add one more day to the trip. Why would you want that?”

“I don’t mind waiting for a day longer,” he answered.” It’s just that...Taeil misses his sister and if we stop by a mainland harbour, then he can send her a letter while we’re there. Don’t they have better supplies there, anyway?”

Taeyong’s expression softened and he looked between Doyoung and Mark who both smiled before nodding at each other. “Okay, then,” Doyoung said, bringing his hand back to the island which port they were in at the moment. “Tomorrow morning we’ll start heading here,” he brought his finger to the big island, “and we’ll reach these ports within three days. Then we’ll head for the South-East harbour of the mainland,” he tapped on a red dot on the coast of the mainland, “which will take around four days to reach. Then we’ll head for our destination, reaching the island in two days.” Doyoung ended his explanation of their route with his pointer finger over the lone small island in the upper right corner of the map.

Mark nudged Donghyuck’s shoulder with his own and when Donghyuck turned to look at his best friend, there was a bright grin on his face and a twinkle in his eyes. Donghyuck couldn’t help but mirror the expression.

“We’re going home.”


	4. Long Sail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Donghyuck pursed his lips, holding back a smile. He quickly turned to Taeyong when Mark and Johnny stepped on the walkway and his best friend’s gaze fell on him. “Spare me, Taeyongie. They’ll annoy me to death.”
> 
> Taeyong rolled his eyes before nudging Donghyuck forward. “Not if you annoy them to death first, rascal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea how this chapter turned into a 8,3k monstrosity but here we are.
> 
> ...You're welcome?

“Why did you have to bring me with you?” Yuta groaned, dragging his feet as Donghyuck pulled him towards the markets. The sun hadn’t even started to fully rise yet, the sky turning a paler shade of blue by the minute and only a handful of people were outside starting their chores for the day. Yet Donghyuck, who was usually one of the last to wake up, had been the first to rise this morning, still tired but in a better mood. He hadn’t forgotten his promise to the vendor woman. He just hoped that she would be there this early on, otherwise he’d have no choice but to break that promise. They were to leave within two hours.

“I need your opinion on something,” he answered simply. Yuta stopped fighting him then, drawing up to his side and pulling his wrist from Donghyuck’s hold. He let out a long yawn, pushing back his light hair and tying it there with a thick leather band. Donghyuck grunted when Yuta set his arm on his shoulder a bit too harshly. His curiosity seemed to have won over his sleepiness, something flashing in his eyes as he looked at Donghyuck.

“About what? Are you buying something? Is it for me?” 

Donghyuck rolled his eyes. “Yes, I’m buying something. No, it’s not for you. Why would I buy anything for you?”

He didn’t try to push him away when Yuta pulled him into a hug and ruffled his hair mercilessly. He just laughed at the feigned offended grumbles his friend let out before letting Donghyuck go. He fixed his hair as Yuta spoke. “What is it, then?”

Donghyuck felt the small weight of his coin pouch around his belt. Taeyong and the others had had to use most of the gold that they’d earned from the pearls to get Morning Star’s mainmast fixed while Mark and Donghyuck had been bedridden. Donghyuck still had his own share of it along with his previous savings. “Jewellery,” he told Yuta. “I’m buying earrings.”

The other raised his brows before reaching out to pull at Donghyuck’s earlobe. Donghyuck swatted his hand away. “But you didn’t want me to pierce your ears. Did you change your mind?”

Donghyuck shook his head. “No, I’m not ready for it yet. But I saw these pretty earrings the other day and I want them to be the ones I’ll be wearing once the day comes.”

Humming, Yuta brought his hand to his chin. “That’s cute, I guess. But, you know, I think if Mark was holding your hand you wouldn’t even notice the pain.”

“Shut up!” Donghyuck slapped him on the arm just as they passed the first set of stalls. Most of them were still vacant, as expected, but some of the vendors were already preparing their tables for the day. 

They only needed to walk for a while longer until Donghyuck spotted the right stall. It felt like a stroke of luck when he saw the elder woman sitting there on her chair, the familiar shawl wrapped around her shoulders as she tinkered with something in her hands. Donghyuck’s lips split into an easy grin as he turned to walk towards the stall with Yuta just a few steps behind him. 

The vendor looked up just as they stopped before her table. She smiled as she greeted Donghyuck. “Ah, here comes the sun. So bright even on this early morning.”

Donghyuck felt his cheeks heat up as he greeted the woman back. Yuta chuckled, stepping closer to the table and leaning down to look at the jewellery scattered across it. “Your work is beautiful, ma’am.” 

The corners of the vendor's eyes crinkled. “Thank you kindly.” She stopped working on the thin and delicate piece of jewellery in her hands and paid them her full attention. “Now, what brings you two sailor boys here at this hour?”

Donghyuck’s smile faded a bit as scratched at the back of his neck. “Ah, we’re leaving. I promised to come to say goodbye, didn’t I?”

“That you did, little sun. I’m glad you humoured this old hag and kept your promise.”

Donghyuck giggled and his eyes flickered to where Yuta was holding an earring between his fingers. It was one of the pair that Donghyuck had become attached to and he felt an odd rush of relief that they hadn’t been sold to anyone else yet. He cleared his throat. “Also,” he said as he took the emerald green earring from Yuta and grabbed its pair from the table as well, holding them up for the vendor to see. They felt cool against the palm of his hand. “I came to buy these.”

“A wonderful choice! You can have them for a single gold coin.”

Donghyuck nodded eagerly as he reached for his pouch. He was just about to open it when Yuta grabbed his wrist, his eyes still on the table. “Wait,” he said, tugging Donghyuck forward to look at what he was pointing at. It was another pair of earrings. They were deep blue like the ocean was during late evenings, the dangling parts shaped like upside-down triangles. “I want these.”

The vendor was back to paying attention to the piece of jewellery in her hands. She didn’t look up when she spoke, her voice light. “Those you will get for three silver coins.”

Yuta turned to Donghyuck with a pleading expression, holding the earrings up to his ears which were already covered in different coloured studs. Donghyuck had to admit that they would suit his friend well, although he wasn’t going to say that out loud. Instead, he sighed. “You didn’t bring your own pouch, did you?”

“Nope!” Yuta confirmed with a grin.

Donghyuck grumbled, pulling out a gold coin and three silver coins from his pouch. “You’re paying me back.”

“Mark would throw me over the rails if I didn’t.”

Donghyuck narrowed his eyes and held up a finger. “ _I_ will feed you to a sea monster if you don’t.”

Yuta laughed, fond as he wrapped his arm around Donghyuck’s shoulder. “Fair enough.”

Donghyuck dropped the coins to the vendor’s awaiting open palm and she grinned at him. “Please wait for just a moment,” she said as she slipped the coins underneath her shawl and went back to working with her hands once more. “Your gift is almost done.”

Donghyuck blinked, confused. “M-my what?” The woman laughed at him, nodding towards the thin and simple looking piece in her hands. It looked like a bracelet. Flustered, Donghyuck brought his hands up and shook his head. “Please, you don't need to-”

“Oh, but I want to, silly boy. This is just scraps, don’t worry about costs. It’s a gift so you won’t have to pay for it. I just had a feeling you needed a reminder of your brightness.”

Donghyuck felt an odd warm feeling in his chest as Yuta smoothened his hand over the back of his neck. “He does,” he agreed quietly. Donghyuck wanted to speak but there was a lump in his throat so he leaned into Yuta's touch instead.

The vendor seemed to be finishing her creation just then, a concentrated expression on her face as she made a final detailed knot before humming with approval. “Here we go!” She cheered before leaning over and handing the piece of jewellery to Donghyuck, whose breath got stuck in the back of his throat. “It’s an anklet,” the kind woman informed him. 

Donghyuck couldn’t do anything else but nod. He heard Yuta let out a small  _ whoa _ next to him as he stared. The anklet was made of three extremely thin leather strips braided together, one of them had been coloured green while the other two were the original dark brown of the leather. In the middle of it sat a charm, a silver sun resting on Donghyuck’s palm. 

Donghyuck smiled as he touched it with his pointer finger, finally finding his voice. “Thank you so much,” he said as he looked up at the vendor, a wide smile on his face. “I’ll wear it proudly,” he promised, bowing a little before crouching down to put it on his left ankle. He made sure that the little sun was facing the right way before he stood up. 

The vendor’s smile was fond as she observed Donghyuck’s giddy state. “Travel safely, sailors. And take care of each other.”

Long trips at sea tended to turn tedious after a day or two. There wasn’t much to do when the weather was clear and they had a fixed destination as well as plans to get there without unnecessary stops. Apart from annoying Mark and helping Jaehyun cook during the day, Donghyuck spent most of his time on the bowsprit, lying on his stomach and looking at Morning Star’s hull breaking through the water. Once in a while, it hit a wave directly and droplets of saltwater flew up, reaching for his face. 

Donghyuck craned his neck to look at the figurehead, his mouth opening in wonder just like the first time he’d seen it. Carved of the same wood that the ship had been built of, it looked like the woman was emerging from within it. Her long hair was framing her face and the features, even when carved into wood, were very familiar to Donghyuck. A near mirror image of their captain. The woman was clutching a giant rose against her chest, uncaring of the thorns that pierced through her skin. It had been both a beautiful and heart-wrenching sight to Donghyuck, even before he knew the story behind the reason why Johnny had carved the figurehead to look like it did.

Lost in his thoughts, Donghyuck flinched and almost fell into the sea when he heard a yell. “I see land!” It was Taeil’s voice, coming from the new lookout platform of the mainmast. Donghyuck gasped, sitting up before he held onto a rope to pull himself to a standing position, careful to not misstep on the bowstring and lose his footing. He stared into the horizon, squinting. Just barely, he was able to spot a treeline and the vague shape of an island. Their first supply stop. 

Donghyuck knew it was only a short stop. They would go on with their sail after an hour or two, depending on how long it would take to find everything they needed. Still, he felt excited as he skipped down the walkway and onto the pier of the island. A whole new world he definitely didn’t have enough time to explore. The pier they chose to let their anchor down by was mostly vacant, only one other big ship like theirs and a few fishing boats occupying it, their crews nowhere to be seen.

Before Donghyuck had time to wander off by himself, a hand settled on his shoulder. He heard Taeyong’s chuckle before he turned to look at him. There was a smile on the captain’s face, no hints of pain behind it. His arm was still on a makeshift sling, would be for as long as it took for his wrist to heal, but Donghyuck was glad that the pain had eased. His heart felt a tad bit lighter with the knowledge. “Don’t get too excited, Hyuckie. You have a job to do here just like everyone else.”

“I know, I know,” Donghyuck sighed, holding back a pout. He held onto Taeyong’s arm with both of his hands before he looked back at the ship. Jaehyun was already standing on the pier as well, holding two empty crates in his arms as he observed the ruckus of the other piers further away from them. Yuta and Taeil were busy with tying down the final sails. He couldn’t see the others so he assumed they were below deck. “What’s my job?”

“You mean what’s your and Mark’s job?” Taeyong asked, not even trying to hide his amusement. Donghyuck rolled his eyes but nodded anyway. “You’re helping Johnny with his supply run. He needs things for repairments and keeping the ship from falling apart so there’s going to be a lot to carry. Too much for him to do it by himself. The rest of us will take care of food and water and such. Sound good?”

Donghyuck nodded just as Doyoung walked down to the pier, pulling a sachet over his shoulder. Donghyuck watched as he walked over to Jaehyun and offered to carry one of the crates. “How are you feeling?” He turned his attention back to Taeyong who had raised a questioning brow at him.

Donghyuck hesitated. Not because he didn’t want to tell the other, but because he honestly didn’t know. “I’m better,” he said after a moment of silence, referring to his physical state. That one he knew more about, at least. “I’d… I’d rather not talk about it.” His voice trailed off as he gazed down and let his hands fall from where they had been holding onto Taeyong’s arm. “I’d rather not even think about it.” His giddiness had started to disappear into thin air and Donghyuck was doing his best to not let it go completely.  _ How are you not afraid of me? _

Taeyong brushed his fingers through Donghyuck’s hair, the touch so gentle it sent tingles down his spine. “That’s okay, kiddo,” he said, nothing but reassuring. Donghyuck saw Johnny and Mark on deck just then, empty sacks thrown over their shoulders. They were playfully wrestling each other, broad grins on their faces. Donghyuck’s lips quirked up into a weak smile. Taeyong turned his head to follow his gaze and he chuckled at the sight before turning back to look at Donghyuck. “I’m sure that-” he was cut off by a loud shriek from Johnny and Mark’s cackling laughter, “I’m sure that those two will help you forget about it in no time.”

Donghyuck pursed his lips, holding back a smile. He quickly turned to Taeyong when Mark and Johnny stepped on the walkway and his best friend’s gaze fell on him. “Spare me, Taeyongie. They’ll annoy me to death.”

Taeyong rolled his eyes before nudging Donghyuck forward. “Not if you annoy them to death first, rascal.” 

Donghyuck had only a moment to put on a feign offended expression before his sight went dark, a sack having been pulled over his head. He yelped when strong arms grabbed his middle and he was thrown over Johnny’s shoulder. 

He wanted to curse at Johnny and Mark but his own mouth betrayed him, letting out a giggle instead. He flailed his arms blindly until a warm hand grabbed his and the sack was pulled from his head. He squinted at the brightness, feeling a bit dizzy with the way the world swung back and forth as Johnny walked. 

Mark let out a breathy laugh where he was grinning up at him, holding onto his hand. Donghyuck felt his cheeks heat up. “I hate you guys,” he muttered, weakened by the sparkles in his best friend’s eyes.

“You do?” Johnny drawled. “And here I thought I was going to buy you and Mark a watermelon as a treat for helping me out.”

Mark’s eyes widened in delighted surprise and even before he used his pleading eyes on Donghyuck, he knew he’d lost. He always lost against Johnny, no matter what game they were playing. So he rolled his eyes and did his best to discreetly kick at Johnny with his feet. “I love you, Johnny-bear,” he told him with a sickly sweet voice.

When Mark laughed at him, Donghyuck took the opportunity to let go of his hand and punch him on the shoulder. Johnny laughed too, jostling Donghyuck in the process. “Now that’s what I like to hear.”

The island’s market was just as big as the last one’s, but the village was grander and had many of its own shops, run by the residents. They bought fresh wooden blanks that Johnny could use for repairments as well as new carpenter tools that they got at a ridiculously low price. The shop owner had definitely been charmed by Johnny, stuttering and blushing as they discussed things. Donghyuck and Mark had snickered at the sight where they'd been waiting outside of the open door.

As they were sitting by a beautiful fountain amid the village, eating sloppily cut pieces of watermelon and observing the bustling of the people, Donghyuck felt like he could breathe a little easier. With Mark blissfully eating and not paying attention to anything else than the watermelon in his hands, Donghyuck turned to Johnny who was sitting on his other side. “So, what did you talk about with that shop owner?” He asked. “Besides flirting.”

Johnny snorted, shaking his head. He swallowed his mouthful before he spoke. “Don’t shame me, I saved us a pocketful of coins.” His smile fell then, a slight frown taking over his features. “Apparently there have been more pirate sightings. A few fishing boats have had encounters and an island in the South-East was raided.”

Donghyuck’s tongue felt thick in his mouth and he bit the inside of his lip. “Are you going to tell Doyoung?”

“No,” Johnny answered without hesitation. Donghyuck knew the words the other didn’t say.  _ It’s better if he doesn’t know.  _ “Let’s just hope he doesn’t hear about it while the others gather their supplies.”

Nodding, Donghyuck went on to finish his piece of watermelon. He smiled as he saw a man carrying his daughter over his shoulders, the child holding onto her father’s hair and ordering him around like a puppet. 

On their way to the mainland harbour, they spent nearly an entire day with rain falling down from dark and heavy clouds. Luckily, it didn’t turn into a full-blown storm. On the second night, Donghyuck woke up in his hammock inside the crew’s room. He rubbed at his face, confused as to what had roused him. Everyone else was asleep and the room was pitch black so the sun certainly wasn't rising yet. 

He was about to settle into a more comfortable position and drift back to sleep when he heard it. A quiet whimper from the hammock right next to him. Donghyuck stiffened, eyes wide open as he turned around. Mark was clearly asleep but there was a pained expression on his face. A nightmare, Donghyuck knew. “Dad?” Mark whispered then, his voice full of broken pieces of hope. 

Donghyuck swallowed against the lump in his throat before carefully reaching out and grabbing Mark’s hand, already hanging outside of his hammock. He used his thumb to draw circles against the other’s palm until Mark let out a long breath, his features softening as he relaxed. “Donghyuckie?” he called out softly, still asleep. 

Smiling, Donghyuck nodded even though he knew Mark wouldn’t see it. “I’m right here,” he confirmed, his chest filling with warmth as the corners of Mark’s lips tugged into a smile. 

He didn’t fall back to sleep until hours later, once he was sure that no more nightmares were going to plague his best friend for the night.

The Eastern mainland harbour was busy and full of people even during the early morning that the Morning Star came to the docks. The city seemed to rise in the blink of an eye right after the piers, tall wooden buildings branching as far as Donghyuck's eyes could see, row after row. This time they didn’t need much of anything other than food and water, so while the rest of the crew stayed back, Yuta and Jaehyun went to gather the supplies and Donghyuck joined Taeil to go buy medicine ingredients and the like.

They sat at a lone table in a bustling inn as Taeil wrote down a letter for his sister, his tongue peeking out to wet at his lips while he concentrated. Not wanting to distract the other, Donghyuck stayed quiet as he looked around the place, taking in the people gathered inside. There was a group of sailors, laughing and slapping each other's backs as they drank and conversed. A family of four, the fathers looking exasperated as they tried to get their young children to sit down and eat. One of the waitresses was openly flirting with a young man by the counter, the guy’s face as red as his shirt. Behind a corner, Donghyuck thought he saw a couple holding hands, but he didn’t bother to crane his neck to get a better look. He wasn’t  _ that _ curious.

Though his curiosity did peak when his eyes settled on the wall by the door. He hadn’t noticed it before, but there was a board full of news articles, illustrations and the like. Even from where he sat on the other side of the room, Donghyuck could see the word ‘wanted’ on several posters. Carefully, to not disturb Taeil who had a small smile on his lips as he kept writing, Donghyuck slipped out of his seat and walked over to the board. 

It was mostly pirates, as he’d expected. One robber as well. Donghyuck was glad Taeyong had made Doyoung stay back at Morning Star with him. He’d likely assumed that the talk about pirates couldn’t have been avoided in the mainlands. Rumours travelled faster on land than they did on the sea. The Eastern harbour also wasn’t very far from where Doyoung was from. Donghyuck let his gaze travel over the pictures of a long-bearded man with a part of his ear missing, a young bald man with two scars over his mouth and a woman with short hair and a falcon on her shoulder. None of them seemed familiar and the bounties weren’t very high either. 

The highest of the bounties were three hundred silver coins for a person called ‘The Moonlight Reaper’. The picture showed a hooded figure with two long and gleaming blades in their hands. Donghyuck felt a shudder go down his spine. In the description, it said that the person was notorious for going after siren hunters. 

“Shall we go?” Donghyuck almost jumped when he heard Taeil’s voice beside him. His friend’s eyes were full of mirth as Donghyuck turned to him, mouth open in surprise. Taeil nodded towards the door with a neatly folded letter in his hand. “The post office shouldn’t be far from here.”

During evenings, when the sun dipped into the ocean and coloured the sky with different hues of red, orange, pink and even purple, the crew played games. This time, they were throwing dice. It was a simple game where the one to throw the lowest score during a round would die off until only two people were fighting for the winner’s title. What made it fun was that the players who had already lost were allowed to distract the others and alter the course of the game as long as they didn’t touch the dice. It was all based on luck, of course, but that just made it more entertaining because sometimes the distractions would actually help the person win.

During the first game, Donghyuck lost on the fourth round. He blamed it on Mark who had been the first to lose and immediately went on to tickle Donghyuck whenever it was his turn. On the last round, it was Taeil against Jaehyun. The two of them were staring at each other intensely and Taeil had the three blocks of dice between the palms of his hands. Just as he started to shake them, ready to make his throw, Yuta drew up to him. Taeil stiffened, narrowing his eyes but continuing to stare ahead. “Don’t,” he muttered.

Donghyuck pressed his lips together to stifle his laughter where he sat by Jaehyun, ready to distract the other when it was his turn. The blue earrings that Donghyuck had bought Yuta glimmered in the last bits of sunlight that settled on the deck. He leaned closer to Taeil whose ears had gone as red as his hair. On instinct, Donghyuck leaned backwards until his back pressed against Mark’s shoulder. “Just throw the dice already, Illie,” Jaehyun muttered, eyes never wandering from the other’s hands.

Taeil huffed before he shook his hands again, trying his best to ignore Yuta and the way he was nearly pressing his face against his neck. Just as Taeil opened his hands, Yuta licked the side of his neck. Donghyuck shrieked in unison with Taeil as the dice flew all over the place. Taeil almost managed the kick Yuta in the groin before the other had a chance to get away, laughing maniacally. “Nakamoto!” Taeil yelled after him, face red and a hand rubbing at his neck. Everyone else laughed as well and Mark giggled right into Donghyuck’s ear but he didn’t mind it because his own stomach and cheeks were aching from joy.

Jaehyun ended up winning the game despite Donghyuck and Mark's attempts at distracting him by blowing air into his ears. He got two fours and a one, beating Taeil’s five and two ones. Jaehyun happily took the gold coin Taeil reluctantly handed him as a price. The one to lose the final round would owe the winner something, usually a coin unless their pockets were already empty. 

They decided to play one more game before heading to bed for the night. Donghyuck was determined to survive until the last round, but he ended up losing to Mark and Taeyong. After complaining about it loudly for a minute, he went on to wrap his arms around Mark’s waist where he sat, picking up the dice. “What are you doing?” Mark asked, purposefully looking away as Donghyuck placed his chin on his shoulder and kept staring at the side of his face. Yuta and Jaehyun were lying down on their stomachs next to Mark, staring at each other with mischievous grins on their faces. “You’re supposed to be on my side,” Mark whined, rolling the dice between the palms of his hands. 

“Oh, I am on your side, Markie,” Donghyuck said, a pretend innocent lilt to his tone. The corners of his mouth pulled up into a smirk as a blush spread over Mark’s cheeks. He leaned closer to whisper into his ear and marvelled at the way his best friend shivered. “You always do better when I’m distracting you.”

Mark let out a nervous chuckle as he nudged Donghyuck away and cleared his throat. “Anyway,” he said, a tad too loudly before he shook his hands for the final time before opening them and letting the dice fall. The moment he did, Yuta and Jaehyun started blowing at the dice as they rolled across the deck, doing their best to alter the outcome of Mark’s throw. Donghyuck laughed at how ridiculous they looked and he laughed even harder when the dice halted. Two sixes and a four. 

“I told you!” Donghyuck yelled at Mark among the cheers and complaints of the crew. The other pushed him so hard that he fell over and cackled up into the sky. 

Once the cheering and booing had died down, Taeyong scratched at the back of his neck before he gathered the dice into his hands. Doyoung was doing his best keeping Johnny and Taeil from getting their hands on the captain to mess with his throw. Taeyong pressed his mouth into a thin line as he closed his eyes in concentration, clasped hands holding the dice, snugly pressed against his chest. Taeyong never shook his hands before a throw, he just let the dice fall and faith do its job. Donghyuck and Mark leaned closer without even realizing. 

The moment Taeyong opened his hands, Doyoung let out a yelp as Taeil managed to wriggle away from his hold and poke Taeyong on the side, making him flinch. It was too late to affect the fall of the dice, though. Taeil groaned while Taeyong rubbed at his side with a pout, eyes on the dice as they rolled. Donghyuck held his breath when they stopped. Three, three and a three. “No way,” Mark whispered beside him before the deck erupted into yells and his eyes widened as he realized he won.

“That’s my boy!” Johnny screeched as he practically threw himself at Mark, cooing and pinching his cheeks. Donghyuck laughed as Mark looked at him with pleading eyes once Taeil came over to bother him as well. It was hurting everywhere at this point, his body feeling drained from all the joy it had let out. Still, Donghyuck felt his heart swell in his chest. 

It was midday and Donghyuck was up in the lookout platform, playing with the silver sun dangling from his anklet. When he looked up to watch over the sea, a gasp escaped his lips. He scrambled to grab Mark’s old and worn out spyglass and hold it up to his eye. There was a crack in the corner and the lens was dirty but Donghyuck was still able to see through it. 

There it was, a familiar shore and the small pier he hadn’t seen for months that felt more like a lifetime. Feeling oddly emotional, Donghyuck had to swallow thickly before he cupped his hands over his mouth. “I see land!” He yelled, a grin spreading onto his face as the words sunk in. “We’re almost there!”

The doors to the galley burst open as Mark ran through them with Jaehyun and Yuta right behind him. Donghyuck grabbed onto the highest steps built into the mast and started descending, excitement filling his chest. “Is it home?” Mark called out to him. He practically jumped up the stairs to the forecastle deck and went on to lean over the railing at the front of the ship, squinting into the distance. 

“Yeah,” Donghyuck confirmed, a little breathless. His knees almost buckled as he reached the deck, but Taeil was there to steady him by the arm. Donghyuck quietly thanked him before he headed to Mark who was smiling softly as the silhouette of an island appeared into the horizon. Donghyuck held the spyglass out to him. “Look for yourself.”

Mark snatched the spyglass from him and as he looked through it, his smile grew into a grin. Then he gasped, reaching out to slap Donghyuck on the chest without sparing a glance at him. “That’s Jaemin and his dad on the second fishing boat, isn’t it? And Jeno!” The whole crew had gathered to the front, apart from Taeyong who was manning the helm by himself. 

“Gimme,” Donghyuck demanded as he made grabby hands for the spyglass. His heart was pounding in his chest at the thought of seeing his dearest friends again. There were a thousand stars in Mark’s eyes as he turned to Donghyuck and handed the spyglass over. “What boat?” He asked as he looked through the lens. Mark wrapped an arm around his shoulder as he guided him in the right direction. 

Then it appeared on his field of vision, a small fishing boat called Firefly that Donghyuck knew belonged to the Na family. He chuckled as he saw Jaemin and Jeno gathering fish into baskets from a net that they’d probably just pulled from the water. Jaemin’s dad was doing the same by himself on the other side of the boat. Donghyuck sighed fondly as he let the spyglass fall from his face. “I never thought I’d be excited to get rammed into the pier.” 

Mark snorted, shaking his head. “I’ll hold you onto that when you’ll be complaining about all the bruises on your body.”

The Firefly was back on the pier way before Morning Star was preparing to let down its anchor. The whole crew laughed when they heard familiar shrieking from the distance, Yuta almost slipping where he was preparing to take down the sails. It seemed like Jaemin had finally spotted them and recognized the ship. Donghyuck felt kiddy where he stood on the deck by Mark, ready to set down the walkway, bouncing on his feet. 

Donghyuck leaned over the rails when they were nearing the pier, laughing at the way Jaemin was waving at them with both hands in the air while Jeno was smiling brightly next to him, one hand held up in greeting. “Duckie!” Jaemin yelled. Donghyuck had to hold himself back from doing something reckless like jumping onto the pier from the still moving ship and risking breaking his legs. “Markie!”

As soon as the ship had ceased its movement and Taeyong gave them the go, Donghyuck and Mark let down the walkway and rushed down. Mark was the first to reach Jaemin, groaning between his laughter as he was crushed into a hug. Donghyuck laughed as well as he plummeted into Jeno who took him in his ever comforting arms, smile so wide his eyes were nearly closed. “I missed you so much,” Donghyuck whined into his ear. 

Jeno patted his back with a chuckle. “I missed you too, Hyuck. A lot has happened since the last time you visited.”

Donghyuck pulled back from their embrace, his smile faltering. “They’re still treating you well at the inn, right?” He asked. Jeno was quick to nod his head, brushing that worry of Donghyuck’s away. 

Before he had time to ask what Jeno had meant, a body slammed into his from the side and he scrambled backwards as Jaemin stuck to him like a leech. They would have fallen into the water if it weren’t for Doyoung who silently steadied Donghyuck with a hand on his back before stepping over to where Jeno and Mark were holding each other at an arm's length, smiling softly. “Duckie, it’s been ages!” Jaemin’s voice made Donghyuck focus back on his dear friend and he smiled softly, squeezing Jaemin as tightly as he was squeezing him.

“I know, I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever,” he admitted. They pulled back from the hug and grinned at each other before diving right back in, laughing loudly. “Where are the others?” Donghyuck asked as Jaemin practically raised him into the air before letting his feet touch the pier again. 

“Renjunnie went to go get Jisung and Chenle,” Jaemin said, voice soft. “They’ve been herding sheep since dawn.” Donghyuck let out a hum before he stepped back to look at Jaemin properly. He looked healthy, his hair a bit longer than last time. Something was different though. Donghyuck couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but there was a spark in his eyes that hadn’t been there for years. “What are you guys here for, though? Did you just miss me that much or did something else bring you home?”

Donghyuck snapped his mouth shut, his grin turning into a thin smile. He didn’t know what to say.  _ Hey, nice to see you after six months, I think I’m cursed...? _ Thankfully Mark, his saviour, came up behind Jaemin and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. Behind him, Jeno and Doyoung were deep into a discussion. “Nothing special,” Mark said, meeting Donghyuck’s eyes and smiling at the silent thank you that he communicated through them. “We just happened to be nearby.”

Jaemin accepted the answer, leaning into Mark as he held onto Donghyuck’s hand. Donghyuck felt something thin and metallic against his skin and stiffened, eyes widening. He let out a strangled sound as he grabbed onto Jaemin’s hand tighter and raised it up to his face. “Nana,” he said, unable to hide the pity in his voice as he saw the simple silver band on Jaemin’s ring finger. He heard Mark gasp before he kept speaking, “I thought- his sister- but what about-”

“Donghyuck,” Jaemin said, effectively making him shut up and look up at his face again. Mark had the exact same frown on his face as Donghyuck did when their eyes flickered over their friend’s face. Jaemin looked sheepish as he spoke, that glint in his eyes that Donghyuck had noticed before brighter than ever. “We spoke to our families, a few months back. Came clean about everything,” he mumbled, a faint blush appearing on his cheeks before his lips split into a grin. “I’m not going to marry his sister, you fools.”

Donghyuck’s jaw dropped as he struggled to process the words. Mark was quicker to catch on, sputtering as he pointed at the ring on Jaemin’s finger. “Wait, you mean-”

“Na Jaemin,” Donghyuck spoke, his voice wavering as he stared at his friend, eyes wide. “Are you telling me Renjun is wearing the matching pair to this ring on your finger?”

Jaemin let out a stuttering breath as if he couldn’t quite believe it himself. Then he nodded. “Yeah,” he was able to whisper before he was sandwiched into a hug between Donghyuck and Mark who were cheering from the top of their lungs. 

“I’m so happy for you guys,” Donghyuck heard Mark say from where his face was squished against Jaemin’s other cheek. “I told you things would work out as long as you talked about it.”

“Then why don’t you listen to your own advice?” Jaemin grumbled.

They were interrupted by high-pitched yelling coming from the distance. Donghyuck drew back from Jaemin and Mark to see three figures racing down the hill to the pier. It was easy to guess who they were even before they were close enough for Donghyuck to recognize. 

He smirked before cupping his mouth and yelling, “What’s this I hear about you marrying  _ my _ Nana, Renjunnie?” His voice echoed over the water and some of the Morning Star’s crew’s eyes widened comically. Donghyuck threw his head back in laughter when the figure that he assumed to be Renjun tripped on his own feet and nearly fell over. 

Mark and he started walking towards where the pier met the land, shoulders brushing. Donghyuck was able to see then that Chenle was the first runner, with Jisung hot on his heels. He chuckles as he turned to Mark. “I want Jisung first. You can take Lele.” 

Mark rolled his eyes but he was smiling as he stepped forward and opened his arms wide. A few seconds later, Chenle barreled into his chest, his squeaky laughter warming Donghyuck’s heart. Donghyuck pressed past them to take Jisung into his arms. “Jisungie, my baby!”

“I’m not a baby,” Jisung mumbled, out of breath. Still, he wrapped his arms tightly around Donghyuck’s waist and nuzzled his face into his neck. 

“You’ll always be my baby, you just went from a tiny baby to a giant baby,” Donghyuck said easily, laughing when the other punched his ribs weakly. “You haven’t gotten any taller, have you? What do they feed you at the farms, huh?”

“Hey, arsehole, what are you doing here? And when are you leaving?” Renjun’s voice came right next to Donghyuck’s ear before he was being hugged from behind as well, Renjun's chest rising and falling against his back. 

Donghyuck grinned as he turned his head to peek at his flustered friend. “You don't get to ask that when you went and got married while I wasn’t here, pisshead.” Jisung groaned in annoyance, escaping from Donghyuck’s hold and going over to Mark who was chatting with Chenle, gesturing wildly. 

When he turned around in the arms the were holding him, Donghyuck was faced with Renjun’s familiar glare and he felt right at home. “We’re not married,” Renjun muttered, letting go of Donghyuck and crossing his arms over his chest. With just a glance at his hand, Donghyuck was able to confirm he had an identical silver band to Jaemin’s on his ring finger.

“Not yet,” someone said behind Renjun before he was being back-hugged by Jaemin who had the sappiest smile on his face that Donghyuck had ever seen. Renjun told him to shut up but melted into the touch anyway, holding onto Jaemin’s hands. Donghyuck felt an odd feeling settle into his chest, both heavy and light.

He made a disgusted face when Jaemin and Renjun looked up at him. Then he spoke, more seriously, “How did your families take it?” He met eyes with Renjun, biting his lip with worry. “Your sister?”

Renjun’s lips twitched into a wry smile. “My parents were furious, at first. And only at Jaemin,” he told Donghyuck quietly while Jaemin stared at him as if he was what made his lungs fill with air every time he took a breath. “They blamed him for wooing me on purpose instead of focusing on my sister. But we all know that wasn’t what happened and my sister ended up talking them down.” Renjun frowned. “She… she knew. She already knew I was in love with Jaemin, months before I found the courage to tell her.”

That was when Chenle walked over to greet Donghyuck, tugging his head under his chin as he hugged him. “There’s my pretty boy,” Donghyuck mumbled softly, petting Chenle’s head. Then, at Renjun, “She’s always been the smarter of you two, I think she ate your brain while you were in your mother’s womb.”

Chenle giggled in his arms, hugging Donghyuck tighter. “I missed you.”

Renjun glared daggers at him while Jaemin tried and failed to console him. “It’s okay, Renjunnie, you got all the looks.”

“Did you just call my twin ugly?”

“N-no!”

Donghyuck was starting to feel uneasy as he walked through the village with Mark. The others had headed to the inn to feast together while Donghyuck and Mark had gone off with the excuse of going to greet their parents. When they neared the edge of the forest where Donghyuck’s parents’ small house stood, Donghyuck started feeling sick to his stomach. Mark’s hand brushed against his and without thinking, he wrapped his hand around his fingers, gripping tightly. “Are you sure you don’t want to see your mother first?”

Mark immediately knew Donghyuck was just trying to bide time. He stopped walking and turned to him. “I’m pretty sure she’s still at the shop at this hour. You know that as well. What’s wrong?”

Closing his eyes, Donghyuck let out a breath. “I don’t know if I’m more scared to find out that I have a terrible disease or an unbreakable curse, or to find out nothing. As far as I know, my parents weren’t familiar with my birth-parents. Maybe they don’t have any information that could even help and what if-”

“Hyuck-ah.” Donghyuck swallowed, his free hand shaking until Mark clasped it. “It’s okay to be scared,” Mark said gently. Donghyuck wanted to protest, to say that he wasn’t scared, but he  _ was _ . “I’m worried too, you know? Of course I am. But we can’t go on and figure out what to do until we ask your parents what they know.” Donghyuck nodded, taking in a deep breath before he opened his eyes again. Mark was looking at him, all determination and a small smile on his face. “There’s at least one thing you can know for sure right now.”

Donghyuck frowned, fingers anxiously tracing the skin of his best friend’s hands. “And what’s that?”

“No matter what, me and the others, we’re not going anywhere. You’ll always have me, Hyuck-ah.” 

Mark grinned when Donghyuck scoffed weakly, slapping at Mark’s chest before he let his hand rest there. He fought against the urge to tug him closer and steal himself a hug. Instead, he searched Mark’s eyes, one of the most familiar sights in the world to him.  _ Promise me _ , he wanted to insist. But there was no point asking for that. The way Mark was looking at him was a promise in on itself. “Okay then,” Donghyuck said, clearing his throat and stepping away, still holding onto one of Mark’s hands. “Let’s do this.”

They only walked for a minute longer until a house built from dark wood came into view. The grass surrounding it was taller than Donghyuck remembered it ever having been, wildflowers growing in its midst. Through an open window, Donghyuck could see his mother in the kitchen, long brown hair cascading down her back. Even as nervousness still nipped at his nape, his lips tugged into a smile. He pulled an amused Mark to the door, knocking on it four times. 

His father was the one to open the door, eyes widening as he realized who were behind it. “Donghyuck? Mark?” He said, dumbfounded. He had an unfinished basket in his hands, likely having been working on it when Donghyuck had knocked on the door. 

Donghyuck giggled as he stepped over the threshold and dove into the arms that had thrown him into the air and made him feel like he was flying until he got too big and got swept to the ocean by a ship instead. His father barked out a laugh as he squeezed him, opening one of his arms to Mark. “You too, come here!”

“What is it with all this noise?” A voice said, coming from the kitchen. Donghyuck raised his head from his father’s chest to meet eyes with his mother, whose surprised expression quickly melted into a bright smile. “Duckie!” 

In the blink of an eye, Donghyuck was pulled from his father’s arms into his mother’s. She fawned over him, soft hands holding his face as she pressed her lips to his cheeks and his forehead. Donghyuck basked in the attention, feeling his cheeks heat up. “Look at you immediately lighting up the room when you walk in. You’ve been kissed by the sun, sweetheart.”

Donghyuck let out an embarrassed sound as he wrapped his arms around his mother’s waist and settled his chin on her shoulder. His mother smelled like she always did, of fresh grass and incense. Donghyuck felt some of his worries melting away as she rubbed his back, humming softly before calling out to Mark. “You’ve taken good care of my boy, haven’t you?”

Donghyuck heard Mark chuckle behind him before there was a hand at the small of his back and Mark leaned in to half-hug Donghyuck’s mother and earn himself a kiss on the cheek. “As I promised,” he said easily. When Mark pulled back, Donghyuck did as well, though reluctantly. 

“Well, what brings you boys here?” Donghyuck’s father asked, setting his half-done basket down by the fireplace. “Are you just passing by?”

Donghyuck couldn't help the way his face fell. “Actually, we made a long sail just to come here,” he said quietly. “I needed to talk to you.”

His mother’s gaze was worried as it trailed across Donghyuck’s face and flickered over to Mark. “About what, sweetheart?”

“About… About my birth-parents.”

Both of his parents seemed taken aback by the words. His mother blinked at him and his father cleared his throat before he spoke. “There isn’t much we know, son, you know that. You didn’t mind it growing up. What changed your mind?”

Donghyuck pressed his lips into a thin line, hesitating at the question. He nearly started laughing and attempting to brush it off, but then he felt Mark’s fingers holding onto the sleeve of his shirt. He swallowed as he remembered his best friend’s glassy eyes. Morning Star’s crew unconscious on the pier. Coughing up blood. “I-” he started, throat closing up as he noticed that there was a hint of fear in his mother’s eyes. “I think I’m sick? Or there’s a curse? I don’t know, it’s just- strange things have been happening.” 

Donghyuck’s parents turned to each other and shared a look that did nothing to ease Donghyuck’s mind. Quite the opposite, actually. He swallowed as he took a step back, his shoulder pressing against Mark’s. His mother let out a sigh before she looked back at him, smiling sadly. “Let’s go sit down at the table, shall we?”

“We didn’t know your birth-parents well at all,” his father said as soon as they had sat down at the kitchen table, Mark and Donghyuck on one side, his parents on the other. “Your father was a sailor from our village, but he rarely stayed here for longer than a day or two before heading back out to the sea.” 

Donghyuck sat perfectly still as he listened, hands clasped tightly together under the table. He was sure his parents knew something. It was clear from the sad expression on his mother’s face and the tight set of his father’s jaw. 

“On one humid summer night, someone knocked on our door,” his father continued. “It was him, your birth-father. He had you bundled up in his arms, just a few weeks old.” Donghyuck tried to picture it in his mind, him as a baby in a stranger’s arms. He found that he couldn’t. “He’d heard talk around town, about your mother and I, how we had been wishing for a child but hadn’t been lucky enough to be blessed with one. So he brought you to us, hoping that we would take you in and- and keep you safe.”

Donghyuck could feel Mark’s eyes on him, but he couldn’t look away from his parents. “Safe? Safe from what?” He whispered, his voice getting trapped in his throat.

“The purge, sweetheart,” his mother said, hands shaking as she set them down on the table. “Your mother,” she bit her lips as she met Donghyuck’s widened eyes, “the woman who gave birth to you. She was a siren.”

Mark took in a sharp breath next to him and Donghyuck felt his heart fall into his stomach and splatter onto the kitchen floor. As he sat there, frozen, his mind recalled the scarred man from the markets with his jingling jar of siren scales. They’d been calling out to him.  _ Just because the purge ended, boy, _ _ doesn’t mean sirens are completely gone. _

Donghyuck’s chair scraped the floor and fell over as he shot up, his blood so cold in his veins that it burned.  _ The woman who gave birth to you _ , the words echoed in his mind,  _ she was a siren _ . His mother, the one who had raised him, the one who was sitting on the other side of the table, reached out to him. Donghyuck stepped back. Mark called out to him, but the sound was too distorted because of the way his ears were ringing. With his breath stuck in his throat, Donghyuck barged out of the door and ran.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The secret is out :0 (One of them, at least)  
> Can you tell how much I adore 7dream? Can you tell??
> 
> Let's be friends on [twitter!](https://twitter.com/kunclipse)


	5. Lily Pad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Donghyuck sighed, turning to look at where it all had started. Where they had started. Where Donghyuck’s name in most sentences started to be accompanied by Mark’s because they would never be far apart. A silly little pond ended up creating the strongest of bonds. Maybe it really was magical.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whenever I sit down to write this fic my brain goes feral. Here's another long chapter for you!

Donghyuck didn’t think about where he was going, he wasn’t able to. His mind was screaming at him, pointing out all the obvious signs he hadn’t paid attention to. But how could he have? How could he have come to this conclusion when it hadn’t existed as a possibility before this? Now, though, it was clear. It had always been his voice, the one things that caused problems. The simmering that he had felt in his chest before screaming for Mark made all the more sense. It had been magic. Power. Donghyuck tensed his fingers into the shape of claws as he kept running, the urge to scratch at his throat so overwhelming it made him lightheaded.

His feet led him into the forest without his mind needing to tell them where to go. It was instinctual, the way he fled through the familiar path that he could have taken with his eyes closed if needed. He jumped over the thick roots that had been mapped into his memory, pushing through bushes that had grown on the path that had been left inhabited after its users had gone off to sea. 

Once he reached the clearing where a small pond was cradled in the middle of a grove of trees, Donghyuck’s legs gave in and his knees hit the ground. He would have cried out in pain if it weren’t for the fact that he was already crying, already in too much pain to even register the burning of his knees as they scraped against the ground. He buried his hands into the ground, into the moss and soil that the clearing was covered in. Through shallow breaths, he cried as silently as he could with his head held down. He wanted to wail, to yell and to scream but he held himself back, gritting his teeth together so hard that his jaw ached. 

Who knew what kind of destruction he could cause with his voice? Half of his blood was that of a siren’s and Donghyuck still remembered the stories the village kids used to whisper to each other. They used to keep him up at night. A siren’s scream could make one’s brain melt out of their ears. They could sing a person into a trance and make them walk off a cliff by themselves. They could control sea monsters and make them attack innocent fishers. All of that was in Donghyuck’s blood. He shuddered, bringing a hand to his throat and squeezing. Maybe if he never raised his voice again, maybe if he stopped talking altogether-

A hand pressed against his back, the touch warm even through the fabric of Donghyuck’s shirt. He recoiled, unable to stand the way he immediately wanted to lean into it. His breathing was still uneven, the breaths he was taking failing to do their job of bringing air into his lungs. When a pair of arms tried to pull him closer, Donghyuck scrambled away from them, pushing against their hold as more tears escaped his eyes and ran down his cheeks. It was a familiar voice that shushed him, but it made Donghyuck cry even harder, a pathetic sob escaping his mouth. 

“Come on, little lily pad,” Mark murmured and Donghyuck was rendered defenceless in a heartbeat. “I’m here. See? I’m not going anywhere and you can’t make me go either.”

Donghyuck felt something breaking in him as he was pulled into Mark’s arms and he knew it was a piece that he’d never get back. He grabbed a fistful of his best friend’s shirt while soothing hands rubbed circles against his back. “How can you even touch me?” He whispered, feeling sick to his stomach, a pounding pain starting at the crown of his head. “I’m a monster.” _Good heavens, I’m a monster._

Mark clicked his tongue, ignoring Donghyuck’s protests as he grabbed his chin and gently coached him to face him. There was a sheen of sweat on his forehead and a slight furrow in his brows but it was still the same Mark as always. The same boy who used to wave at him as he swam in the ocean while Donghyuck watched from the beach. The same boy who had taught him how to swim in safe and low tides, never forcing him to put his head underwater. 

Even after hearing that Donghyuck was birthed by someone who wasn’t human, Mark was looking at him like he always did. Like he was just Donghyuck and nothing apart from that mattered. “You’re not a monster, Hyuck-ah,” Mark said softly, leaving no room for arguments. He moved his hand to wipe away a tear from Donghyuck’s cheek. “No monster can look this pretty even while crying.”

Stupid. Donghyuck let out a near-hysterical giggle before he buried his face into the crook of his best friend’s neck. _Stupid, sweet Mark Lee._ “I don’t get how you can be so calm about this,” he said, voice wavering. “Monster or not, I’m… I’m half-siren, Mark.”

“Believe me, it is very shocking. I couldn’t have- I didn’t imagine this was even possible,” Mark spoke into Donghyuck’s hair, breath tickling his scalp. “But the thing is, you’ve always been special and it has never been a bad thing. Just because we know the reason now, even though the reason is… a little scary, doesn’t mean that you’re suddenly bad. It doesn’t change who you are, Hyuck-ah.”

Donghyuck pulled back, frowning as he looked at Mark. “But-”

“No buts,” Mark interrupted him. He nodded towards the pond behind Donghyuck. “You’re still the same boy as the day that I met you, lily pad.” 

Donghyuck sighed, turning to look at where it all had started. Where they had started. Where Donghyuck’s name in most sentences started to be accompanied by Mark’s because they would never be far apart. A silly little pond ended up creating the strongest of bonds. Maybe it really was magical.

Donghyuck was six years old when he ventured into the woods that started behind his home. He’d done it before with his father, accompanying him when he went to chop trees for building. He was also used to playing by himself by the edge of the forest, the low-hanging branches of trees tickling his head as if he was a family friend. But this time was different. Something drew him in, making him walk deeper into the forest, following an invisible path until he came across a clearing where a small pond sat, cradled by the trees surrounding it, like a nest. To Donghyuck, it was the most magical place that he’d ever seen, one out of the bedtime stories his parents told him during late evenings. Stories about fairies and fauna, of magic and mystery.

As Donghyuck walked closer to the pond, his feet cushioned by a thick layer of moss on the ground, something on the water’s surface caught his attention and made his mouth open in awe. Dark green circles, like giant leaves having fallen from even bigger trees, their colour strong and vibrant against the dark and murky water of the pond. Among the giant leaves bloomed billowing white flowers, so delicate that Donghyuck wondered if they would sink to the bottom of the pond by just a touch of his fingertip. 

Mesmerized, Donghyuck stepped closer until he was standing by the edge of the pond, the water surrounded by thick roots. He wondered if he could carefully reach down and grab one of the giant leaves, or if it would anger the fairies that surely lived in the place, hidden from his curious eyes. He could’ve surprised Nana with it, he was sure of it. The twins might have liked it as well. 

Deciding to risk it, too driven by his curiosity, Donghyuck got down on his knees and wrapped his fingers around one of the tree roots as well as he could with how thick it was compared to his small hand. He leaned down over the water and reached out. His fingers brushed against one of the leaves, its surface surprisingly cold and smooth. Maybe it was the excitement that bloomed in his chest that made his grip on the root slip and he had no time to even yelp before he was falling, the water splashing as he plunged into it without his will. 

Shock was the first feeling that froze his chest and maybe thanks to it, he was able to kick his feet and push back to the surface just for a moment. It was enough to let out the beginning of a call for help, although it felt like it got lost into the forest as he was pulled back underwater. 

Panic set in as Donghyuck realized he couldn’t get to the surface anymore. It was quick and sharp, spreading from his ribs to the tips of his fingers and finally to his toes. Donghyuck was six years old and he hadn’t learned how to swim yet, preferring to stay on the beach with his feet buried into the sand, staring at the edge of the water and how it pushed forward and then pulled itself back again, like it was playing a game of catch by itself. He didn’t think he was afraid of water, he just liked looking at it more than the thought of being in it.

This time, as he was sinking towards the bottom of the pond, unable to move after his body had frozen from fear, Donghyuck found that he couldn’t do anything else but observe. The giant leaves looked bigger from below, like rounded storm clouds gathering above his head. They had roots that pierced through the water and disappeared somewhere below, into the bottom of the pond. It was magical and for a moment Donghyuck thought that maybe he did anger the fairies that lived in the place. Maybe he should have turned, walked away and gone ask his parents about the water leaves. But he had yet to learn how to fight against the overwhelming power of his curiosity.

Donghyuck’s chest was starting to hurt as he kept his mouth pressed shut, his lungs wanting to empty and fill up at the same time. It felt like an entire house was on top of him, maybe even two. Just as his vision was getting darker and blurrier, just as his head was about to explode until he couldn’t help but breathe in and drink up water, something reached into the pond and wrapped around his wrist. It tugged at him, pulling him upwards until his head pushed through the surface and he took in a lungful of air, so big that it burned through him. 

He was gasping, blinking water away from his eyes as slippery hands gripped him bruisingly tight and he was being pulled back over the roots he had been holding on to and onto the forest floor. He tried to do his best to help, reaching out without seeing properly and holding onto a root and the shirt of the person pulling him out of the water while letting out grunts from the effort it took to carry his weight. 

Once he was completely out of the water, the hands holding onto Donghyuck let go and he flopped on his back. The branches of the trees above him reached towards the clear blue sky but it all looked like a mess in his unfocused eyes. Donghyuck raised his trembling hands to wipe his face and to clear his vision, his chest continuing to rise and fall too often. Once he was able to see properly, he turned his head to the side and met eyes with the person who was sitting next to him, arms wrapped around himself as he stared at Donghyuck with wide eyes.

He looked vaguely familiar with his dark hair and thin brows. Donghyuck must have seen him around the village before, their island wasn’t very big. He let out a soft breath as he memorized the face of his saviour. Then it all crashed against his chest again, the shock flowing out of his body and finally letting his brain process that he’d nearly just drowned. A strangled hiccup came from Donghyuck’s throat before he covered his face with his hands and started to cry. 

There was a gasp and a few seconds later Donghyuck was pulled up from the forest floor and into a hug. Without a word of complaint about his wet clothes and the crying, the other boy shushed him gently, patting Donghyuck’s back whenever he hiccuped. “It’s okay, it’s okay now,” he whispered. Somehow, it was easy to believe him. 

Once Donghyuck had calmed down enough to stop crying and scrambled out of the other boy’s lap with his cheeks flamed with embarrassment, they sat next to each other and stared at the pond. Donghyuck shivered in his wet clothes but if the other noticed it, he didn’t acknowledge it. “What were you even doing?” He asked instead.

Donghyuck shrugged, a pout forming on his face. “I just wanted to have one of the big leaves in the water,” he mumbled. He was so embarrassed he couldn’t even glance at the other boy. “I thought I could reach it but then my hand slipped and I fell.”

The other chuckled but snapped his mouth shut when Donghyuck glared at him. “They’re called lily pads,” he told him, “and the flowers are called lilies.” Donghyuck inclined his head curiously and it made the other boy smile. “Promise me you won’t try to do it by yourself again and I’ll pick you some.”

Donghyuck was eager to nod.

Donghyuck inhaled strongly as he pulled himself back from vivid memories. That day had changed everything. Once Mark had walked him back home and he’d changed his clothes, Donghyuck had taken him to meet Jaemin and Renjun. They had been impressed by the giant lily pad Donghyuck had been carrying around, bigger than their heads, and Mark had been accepted without complaints. The next day, Mark introduced them to his friends. Jeno, Chenle and Jisung. From then on, the group was inseparable.

It wasn’t always easy. Like when Chenle ran away from home and the chief of the village made everyone scour the island until he was found in the Park family’s barn, curled around Jisung where they slept among the hay. Or when Jaemin and Renjun started falling for each other and nearly tore the group apart with their attempts of defying their fates. Or when Mark realized his father wasn’t coming back from sea and he didn’t let anyone see him for a week, not even Donghyuck. 

They always managed to pick up the pieces and put them back together, though. The picture was always just as beautiful. Truly, everything did change that day when Donghyuck wandered to the pond. He turned to look at his best friend and the glint in his eyes told Donghyuck they were thinking of the same things. Slowly, with time, they had become everything to each other. It was as simple as that. 

Donghyuck swallowed as he was brought back to the subtle feeling of coldness inside his veins. He slumped against Mark’s chest. Steady, there. “How am I going to tell them?” He whispered. 

“You don’t have to, not yet at least.”

Rolling his eyes, Donghyuck softly elbowed Mark’s ribs. “Of course I have to. They deserve to know.” He thought about all his friends, from the island and from Morning Star. They were probably at the inn, eating and drinking and joking around. A weak smile pulled at the corners of Donghyuck’s mouth. “They’re family.”

Mark’s hand came up to cup his jaw and Donghyuck closed his eyes. “Don’t be scared. They love you.”

“I’m kind of scared about everything right now,” Donghyuck confessed, the skin of his neck turning into goosebumps when Mark’s thumb traced over his jawline. Distracting. 

“Then I’ll be brave for both of us for now, even though I’m not very good at it.” Mark pinched Donghyuck’s cheek when he snorted. “We need to go back to your parents first, though.”

“I know.” Donghyuck’s shoulders tightened the moment he detached himself from his best friend and got up, brushing dirt from his clothes as best as he could. His pants were ruined, though, ripped at the knees. He shrugged to himself as he gazed at the pond with its lilies and lily pads. Donghyuck pressed his lips together to hold back a smile. He didn’t succeed very well. He turned to Mark and nodded towards the waters. “Pick me one before we go?”

Back in the house, Donghyuck was immediately enveloped in a hug from both sides, his parents holding him in their arms, careful to not crush the lily pad that he was holding in his hands. “We’re so sorry we didn’t tell you before, sweetheart,” his mother said. The tone of her voice told Donghyuck that she’d been crying. “We thought it would be better that way. Since you don’t have any features of a siren, we were hoping - very foolishly - that you wouldn’t manifest any powers either.” 

“I understand.” He really did. A part of him wished that they’d kept the truth from him even then. He traced the surface of the lily pad with his finger before he swallowed. “Why did you take me in, then? Sirens are dangerous and if someone had found out you were harbouring one, _raising_ one-” Donghyuck cut himself off, feeling sick to his stomach. 

“Donghyuck,” his father’s voice was gentle but serious as he stepped back and squeezed his shoulder. “You were just a baby, no matter who birthed you. Sirens aren’t much different from humans. There are good ones and there are bad ones. You, son, are both a human and a siren and you are as good as you strive to be.”

Donghyuck swallowed against the lump in his throat. His father raised his brow and so he hurried to nod his head. He tried to cling onto the words and believe them, but all he’d ever heard about sirens were stories of horror. He couldn’t assume he was an exception. He’d controlled Mark, he’d knocked out his friends- 

“Sweetheart, there’s something you should have.” Donghyuck’s parents led him back into the kitchen and they sat down around the table just like they had before Donghyuck’s world had crumbled to pieces. Mark’s thigh was pressing against his, a comforting warmth. There was a small and simple wooden box on the table and Donghyuck’s mother pushed it towards him. “Your birth-father left it to us that night. It’s from your... real mother.”

Donghyuck’s hand was hesitant as it reached out and ran a finger over the top of the box. His mother, the siren. Whatever could it have been? A letter, maybe? Donghyuck set his lily pad down on the table before he took the box in his hands. It was almost the length of his hand, a bit slimmer than his palm. The lid opened easily in his hold and Donghyuck let out a soft gasp. Mark leaned in closer to his side, staying quiet. 

It was a charm of some kind, made of transparent thread and siren scales. They were iridescent, shining a different shade of colour whenever Donghyuck tilted the box to the side. An odd feeling rushed through him, familiar and melancholic. “Are these her scales?” He whispered. 

His father cleared his throat quietly. “We assume so, yes.”

Donghyuck swallowed, his finger shaking as he set it on top of one of the scales, feeling it’s cold surface. _Donghyuck._ A woman’s voice, clear and melodic. He flinched, setting the box back down onto the table lest it fell from his hands. 

Mark placed a hand on his arm. “What’s wrong?”

Donghyuck turned to him, frowning. “Did you not hear that?”

Mark blinked before he shook his head slowly. “I didn’t hear anything.”

When Donghyuck turned to his parents, they shook their heads as well. His eyes flickered back to the charm. “I- I heard a woman’s voice. It called my name.”

“Huh,” Mark uttered next to him. “Maybe… Maybe you can only hear it if you touch it?” He hovered his hand over the box, looking to Donghyuck for permission. “Can I?”

Once Donghyuck nodded, Mark let his finger touch one of the scales of the charm, his lips parting in wonder. When he ran his finger over the surface, his brows furrowed in thought. “I don’t hear anything,” he admitted before pulling his hand back to his lap. 

“It must be a siren thing, then,” Donghyuck’s father said quietly. 

The words turned into a bitter pool in Donghyuck’s stomach and he didn’t know how to feel about it. “Well,” he said, taking the box in his hands and closing the lid before slipping it into a pouch on his waist. “I can figure it out later. Mark’s mother should be home by now.”

“You don’t have to tell her if you’re not ready. I know it wouldn’t change a thing, she loves you probably more than she loves me, but I don’t want you to feel like you have to tell her.”

Donghyuck rolled his eyes at Mark’s rambling, nudging him on the shoulder enough to make him misstep as they walked. “Your mother would smack you for saying that,” he muttered, “you’re the entire world to her and I’m just a part of it.”

Mark’s ears reddened as he grinned. “Yeah, but a big part.”

Donghyuck huffed, ignoring the other as they kept walking closer to the town centre where Mark’s house was. After a moment of silence, he let out a sigh. “Maybe… Maybe I’ll tell her later? I’m nervous enough thinking about how all our friends are going to react. I don’t want-” He cut himself off, swallowing thickly. He didn’t want Mark’s mother to be afraid of him, to tell him to stay away from her son. He knew, or at least he hoped, that it wouldn’t happen, that she really loved him enough to see past what he had turned out to be, but a small part of him was afraid. 

“That’s okay, Hyuck-ah.”

Mark’s mother was sitting on the porch, knitting, as they approached the house. When the sound of their steps reached her, she looked up, almost dropping whatever she was working on as her eyes widened. She set her things down on the small table next to her and started running towards them with a smile on her face. Donghyuck and Mark chuckled at the same time and Mark picked up his pace without even noticing it. 

Donghyuck couldn’t help the smile that spread over his face when Mark’s mother wrapped her arms around her son and Mark made himself smaller to be able to hook his chin over her shoulder. “Oh, I missed you so much! How have you been? Where did you travel to? Is the crew doing well?” Mark’s mother barrelled him with question after question as she squeezed the life out of him. Her gaze flickered over to Donghyuck and her eyes sparkled with something mischievous. “Did you tell-”

“Mom!” Mark hurried to cut her off and pulled away from the hug, setting his hands on her shoulders while his cheeks bloomed with red. Donghyuck let out a soft breath through his nose. Cute. “I missed you too, I’m alright, we were down South and the crew is well,” he told her calmly. When she raised her brows at him, Mark whined. “No, I didn’t.”

Donghyuck had only a moment to be confused before Mark’s mother turned to him and opened her arms. “Come here, my sweet boy,” she cooed, making him giggle while Mark rolled his eyes fondly. 

Hugging her tightly, Donghyuck spoke, “I brought him back for you in one piece.” He narrowed his eyes at Mark over her shoulder. “He didn’t make it very easy, though.”

As they made their way inside the house, Donghyuck told Mark’s mother about the storm while Mark tried to explain that it wasn’t as bad as Donghyuck made it sound. Still, Mark’s mother forced him to sit down by the empty fireplace while she dragged Donghyuck to the kitchen to help her brew some tea. 

“Is he still having nightmares?” She asked Donghyuck in a low voice, turning to him once the water was heating up. She always asked the same question whenever they visited and Donghyuck had yet to give her a pleasant answer, no matter how hard he wished that he could.

“Once a week, these days,” he told her honestly, a sad smile on his lips. “He calms down when I let him know I’m there and he doesn’t remember anything once he wakes up.”

Mark’s mother’s lips were set on a thin line as she nodded. Then her expression melted into a soft smile and she placed her hand on Donghyuck’s arm. “Thank you, Donghyuck. It means a lot to me, that you’re so willing to take care of my son.”

Donghyuck chuckled, averting his gaze to the ground when he felt his cheeks heating up. “You already know I’d do anything for him,” he mumbled.

“Oh, I know,” Mark’s mother laughed softly. “He’d do anything for you, too.”

“What are you two tittle-tattling about?” A voice came by the doorway and Donghyuck turned his head to see Mark leaning against it with his arms crossed over his chest.

Mark’s mother let out a nonchalant hum as she turned back to preparing the tea. “Who are we not to exchange embarrassing stories of our favourite boy behind his back?”

Mark blanched, his hands dropping to his sides and Donghyuck couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. “Mom!”

Donghyuck only realized he was starving when Mark opened the door to the inn and they stepped inside, a cluster of delicious smells making Donghyuck’s mouth water with his first inhale. “I’m so hungry,” Mark muttered next to him and Donghyuck found himself nodding in agreement. 

Two tables had been pushed together in the back of the spacious room so that all their friends could fit around the same table and share meals. It looked like most of them had finished eating already, which wasn’t a surprise since Donghyuck and Mark had been gone for a few hours. 

Renjun, Jaemin, Taeyong and Doyoung were having a conversation, smiling brightly to each other. Jeno was munching on a piece of bread while Jaehyun was describing something to him, moving his hands in the air like waves. Donghyuck had a feeling it was something to do with the dolphins they had sailed past the day before. Yuta and Johnny were playing a card game with Chenle and Jisung while Taeil tried to aid the younger boys. 

Taeyong was the first one to notice them, his eyes flickering up to Donghyuck and Mark before he raised one of his brows in silent question. _Did you figure anything out?_ Donghyuck fisted the sleeve of his shirt, nodding timidly. Taeyong eyed him for a moment longer before he pointed towards the middle of the table. “We saved you some, come eat,” he said, loud enough to carry over the noise that their other friends were making. 

All the heads around the table turned to Donghyuck and Mark, smiles on their faces. Donghyuck did his best to smile back, but he had a feeling it didn’t quite reach his eyes. He leaned against the hand at the small of his back before walking over and settling down between Jaemin and Renjun. Mark sat between Doyoung and Jisung on the other side of the table. 

“How were your parents?” Jaehyun asked before reaching out and stealing the final piece of bread from Jeno’s hand, laughing at the other’s shocked expression before stuffing the whole thing in his mouth, dimples on display as he munched. 

Mark cleared his throat as Donghyuck leaned into Jaemin when the other wrapped his arm around his shoulder. “They’re well,” Mark said, ignoring Jisung’s protests as he ruffled his hair. “It was nice to see them after so long.”

Donghyuck tuned out of the conversation as Doyoung went on to ask about Mark’s mother’s knit shop. He’d already heard it all over tea. “So,” Donghyuck started as he reached out to place a piece of fish on his plate. It must have been from the catch that Jaemin and Jeno had gotten earlier. “When’s the wedding?”

Renjun jabbed at Donghyuck’s ribs just as he was about to take a bite out of his food. Jaemin looked on from Donghyuck’s other side with an amused expression on his face, sipping on his drink. “We haven’t decided yet,” Renjun muttered, his face gradually reddening. “We’re still young and it’s not like we need to do it now. Right?” He looked past Donghyuck to Jaemin, a nervous look on his eyes.

“You’re right,” Jaemin said simply. Then he smiled, a bit crooked. “We’ve got all the time in the world, love.”

Donghyuck covered his mouth with one hand but some of his giggles still managed to escape through the gaps between his fingers. Renjun looked scandalized, reaching over Donghyuck to push Jaemin against Jeno’s side. “Shut up, Jaemin!”

Jaemin laughed as Jeno helped him sit back up while Donghyuck held Renjun down with a hand over his chest. Right then, Jaehyun let out a yelp as Taeyong knocked over a cup with his elbow, turning away from where he had been resting his chin on Doyoung’s shoulder. It was empty, thankfully.

Once things quieted down, Donghyuck sighed. “You know I’m really happy for you guys, right?” He blurted out at Renjun and Jaemin, quiet but sincere. He looked up at Mark who was showing Jisung which card he should use against Johnny. There was sauce on his chin and one of the buttons of his shirt had become undone. Donghyuck let his gaze fall back to his plate, struggling to swallow down the bittersweet taste in his mouth. 

Renjun placed a hand on his knee, squeezing. Before he could speak, Chenle let out a loud gasp, putting down the two cards he had left in his hands. “Oh! Did anyone tell you guys about Seulgi and Irene yet?” He asked looking from Donghyuck to Mark.

Mark swallowed his mouthful of food before he spoke. “What about them? Are they well? Are the chickens healthy?” 

Donghyuck looked at the broad grin on Chenle’s face for a few seconds until it clicked. “Wait, did they finally...?”

“They finally got married,” Jeno confirmed from the other end of the table. “Irene’s grandma’s health started declining last month. She’s alright at the moment but they wanted her to be there since she practically raised Irene, so the wedding was pushed forward.”

“It was amazing,” Jisung said, resting his chin on his arms over the table. “They said their vows at midnight under the full moon. It took me two days to convince my parents to let me be there and get the morning off from work.”

“Whoa,” Donghyuck let out. Mark chuckled at him. “Why wasn’t I invited?” He went on to whine, sliding down on his seat until his chin touched his chest.

Yuta laughed. “Where would they have sent your invitation? In a bottle to the open ocean?”

Pouting, Donghyuck held onto Renjun and Jaemin’s arms. “You two better not do that to me. I’m a crucial part of your relationship, you can’t get married without me!”

On the other side of the table, Mark bit his lip while Renjun only rolled his eyes and Jaemin pulled him into a half-hug. “Unless you plan on leaving for the next five years - which I would personally murder you for and no, Jeno would not be able to stop me - we won’t.”

Donghyuck grinned then, sitting up straight and pulling his oldest friends into a hug as best as he could while sitting by a table. Renjun succumbed to his fate and wrapped his arms around Donghyuck’s waist while Jaemin somehow managed to wrap his dangly arms around both of them. “I would never willingly part from you for that long,” Donghyuck said, voice soft. Then, swallowing against the lump in his throat, he added, “Unless you wanted me to.”

Both Renjun and Jaemin pulled away from him, similar frowns on their faces. “What are you talking about?” Renjun questioned, sounding like the words Donghyuck just uttered had offended him deep into his core. 

When Donghyuck didn’t answer, Jaemin shook his shoulder gently. “Duckie? Is everything alright?”

“I need to tell you something,” Donghyuck said slowly, forcing the words out of his mouth. He gripped the front of his shirt with bone-white knuckles. Everyone around the table was quiet as Donghyuck met eyes with them one by one. The crew of Morning Star looked a little more knowing than the others, but there was still worry in their eyes. Mark’s gaze told him what he needed to know to keep going. _I’m here._ “All of you.”

“Well, what is it?” Jeno coaxed him with a soft voice after a moment of silence. “You know you can tell us anything, right?”

Donghyuck nodded before letting out a long breath. “We didn’t come here just because we were sailing by,” he admitted. “We made a long trip, just to come here, because something was wrong with me. Strange things happened because of me and I got... sick for a while.”

“Are you okay now?” Jisung asked quietly. Donghyuck felt a stab of pain in his heart as he looked into the worried eyes of his youngest friend.

He bit the inside of his cheek, hard enough for a faint metallic taste to grace his tongue. He remembered the blood splatters on the sleeve of his shirt and the pain in his throat. “Not really,” he admitted. “I came here to talk to my parents. I thought that-” he grit his teeth together when his voice wavered, “I thought maybe I had a sickness or a curse, passed on from my birth-parents.”

Johnny had his hands on the table, shuffling the deck of cards in them. A nervous habit. “So what did they tell you?”

Donghyuck felt like his insides were trembling. He met eyes with Mark again, drawing strength from the tight-lipped smile on his best friend’s lips. “They told me the truth,” he said, keeping his gaze on Mark. “My father was a sailor.” The small box in the pouch wrapped around Donghyuck’s belt felt heavy where it rested against his thigh. “My mother, she was a siren.”

If a coin had fallen on the floor after Donghyuck had said those words, it would have surely sounded like a cannon going off. The table fell so silent that it seemed like everyone was holding their breaths. Donghyuck was holding his, every muscle in his body gone tight, his heart hammering against his chest so hard that he could hear it in his ears. 

“Well, that’s very unexpected, I couldn’t have imagined…” Jaehyun trailed off after breaking the heavy silence. He brought a hand to his chin, a thoughtful expression forming on his face.

Taeil let out a soft sound, inclining his head as he looked at Donghyuck in a new light. “It… makes sense, actually.”

Donghyuck swallowed as he stared down on the table, a hollow pressure in his chest. Next to him, Renjun and Jaemin’s bodies had gone stiff. Everyone was looking at him differently now, everyone but Mark. It hurt more than he wanted to admit that it did, but how could he blame them? Donghyuck had just told them that half of him wasn’t human.

“Wait, that’s amazing!” Donghyuck snapped his head up so fast that it strained his neck. It was Chenle who had exclaimed the words, mouth open in awe as he stared at Donghyuck. 

Next to him, Jisung nodded eagerly in agreement. “Hyuckie, you’re magical!”

Donghyuck’s heart dropped into his stomach and he hurried to shake his head in disbelief. “No! No, it’s not a good thing. I’m dangerous.”

“But you have powers! That’s-”

Anger flared in his chest and Donghyuck’s fingers dug into the fabric of his shirt. “I can’t control it!” He yelled. The kids’ excitement disappeared as their eyes widened in surprise. “Don’t you get it? I could _hurt_ _you_ by accident, any of you. I-”

There was a weak shattering sound in the room that made Donghyuck freeze with his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. His gaze fell to the glass jug in front of him, littered with cracks that water was steadily pouring out of. Donghyuck took in a quivering breath before he covered his mouth with both of his shaking hands. If he wasn’t terrified down to his very bones, he would have turned to Chenle and Jisung, saying ‘I told you so’. But instead, he wanted nothing more than to get on his feet and run out of the room. _What did you do?_

For a few seconds, it was dead silent around the table, this one much heavier than the silence from before. Chenle and Jisung had gone as pale as ghosts, eyes flickering from the jug to Donghyuck and back. _They’re scared of you._ Donghyuck’s eyesight blurred. _Maybe they should be._

“Hyuck-”

“I’ve got it,” Taeil cut Mark off, gingerly walking around the table and coming over to Donghyuck. He was careful to not scare him in his state of growing panic, slow in his movements when he placed a hand on Donghyuck’s shoulder. “Would you come to the ship with me, Hyuckie?” Taeil asked, gentle and calming. “I’d like to check your health again, now that I know better.” There was no trace of resentment in his voice and Donghyuck struggled to comprehend how that was, even after the stunt he’d just pulled.

He let his hands fall from his mouth, pressing his lips into a thin line as he nodded numbly. The glass jug was nearly empty, the brown tablecloth ruined by the water that had poured through its cracks. Something in Donghyuck resonated with the sight. He got up from his seat and let Taeil guide him out of the inn, feeling several pair of eyes on his back.

“Ah, that would explain your cold skin!” Donghyuck suppressed a flinch where he was sitting down on the bed in the captain’s cabin as Taeil raised his voice. “Sorry,” Taeil said sheepishly, patting Donghyuck’s thigh. “It’s just that- the little I know about sirens is that they descend from mermaids, who obviously were sea creatures and most sea creatures have cold blood, their temperature being controlled by the warmth of the water.” Taeil pursed his lips in thought before continuing. “Maybe that has something to do with the magic as well… your skin turned colder than normal after you used your powers.”

Donghyuck was gradually gaining a headache. He let out a deep breath before he grabbed Taeil’s hand, holding it in both of his. “Taeillie,” he said quietly, making his friend turn away from where he had been scribbling on a notebook and give Donghyuck his full attention. “Are you not scared?”

The small frown that had been on Taeil’s face softened before he got up from his stool and sat down on the bed next to Donghyuck, taking both of his hands in his. “You being scared of yourself scares me,” he said, squeezing Donghyuck’s hands gently. “But I’m not scared of _you_ , Hyuckie. You wouldn’t be scared of me if our roles were reversed, would you?” Taeil smiled when Donghyuck shook his head. Taeil would never hurt him, not intentionally. “See? As you said, you can’t control it and that isn’t your fault. We’ll just have to figure out a way to help you out.”

There was a knock on the door, followed by another one. Taeil chuckled before letting go of Donghyuck’s hands, standing up and heading over to open it. Donghyuck sighed when he saw who were behind it. Chenle and Jisung were standing side by side, eyes on the floor and hands clasped before their bodies like they’d just been scolded by their parents. Taeil let them step into the room before slipping past them and closing the door behind himself. 

Donghyuck’s heart felt heavy as he watched his friends walk closer to the bed, neither of them meeting his eyes. He cleared his throat. “I’m-”

“We’re sorry!” Chenle and Jisung yelled at the same time, almost tackling Donghyuck on the bed with their eagerness to wrap their arms around him. “We’re really sorry!”

Stunned, it took Donghyuck a few seconds before he wrapped his arms around his friend’s bodies. “It’s fine. I-”

“No, Hyuckie,” Jisung said as he pulled back to look at him, eyes pooling with regret. “We were so focused on the fact that you’re magical to even spare a thought for how scary that must be to you.”

“Yeah, and you only just found out about it,” Chenle piped in. “I can’t even imagine how that must feel like. We’re sorry.”

Donghyuck let out a breath before smiling softly, ruffling both Jisung and Chenle’s hair. “Mark didn’t scold you into this, did he?”

Jisung huffed. “He didn’t need to. We scolded ourselves.”

Their laughter was cut off by knocking on the door. Whoever was behind it didn’t wait for someone to come open it. Jaemin peeked his head in before entering the room with Renjun and Jeno in tow. Chenle and Jisung whined out their complaints when they were pulled apart from Donghyuck and replaced by the other three boys. Jaemin decided to cling to his back like a koala while Jeno and Renjun sat by his sides.

“Hey,” Donghyuck greeted them, testing out the waters. For the first time for a long, long time had no idea what Renjun and Jaemin were thinking and it made his stomach prickle uncomfortably. Jeno had always been closer with Mark but he sent Donghyuck a reassuring smile the moment their eyes met. He held Donghyuck’s hand tightly, as if to tell him he wasn’t going anywhere.

“Hey,” Renjun said back, pushing some of Donghyuck’s longer hairs behind his ear. “Sorry we didn’t really react back there. It was - it _is_ \- really shocking.” 

The soft tremor of Renjun’s voice never failed to relax him and this time wasn’t any different as Donghyuck felt his stiffened muscles easing. “I know.”

“We’ve known you for so long,” Jaemin mumbled where he was resting his chin on Donghyuck's head. “I thought there was nothing we didn’t know about you by now. I guess it’s a little childish to think that, isn’t it?” 

Donghyuck shrugged, small enough of a movement that it didn’t jostle Jeno’s head off his shoulder. “You know everything about me that I know.”

Renjun let out a breath through his nose, amused. “And some things that you don’t know yourself.” He didn’t react when Donghyuck leaned against his side, continuing to card his fingers through Chenle’s hair where he laid on his lap. “But you know you’ll always be our Duckie, right? I really couldn’t care less who your birth-parents were, you’re the kid who threw sand on the face of that boy who called my teeth ugly and then proceeded to tell me my smile is pretty. Nothing will ever change that.”

Jaemin grumbled a low curse and Donghyuck giggled. He breathed in deeply as the pressure on his shoulders and chest eased. He couldn’t help the way his voice wavered when he spoke, “I love you guys.”

He was met with a chorus of I love you too’s. They all pieced together into what sounded a lot like home. 

Donghyuck was the only one awake when the handle of the door was pressed down and it opened with a quiet creak. He was sandwiched between Renjun and Jaemin who were holding hands above his head. Jeno was stuck between the wall and Jaemin’s back while Chenle and Jisung were curled up around each other by their feet. He had no idea how they had all managed to fit into the same bed but it wasn’t the first time they had made it possible. 

Mark’s lips split into a grin as he closed the door behind himself and saw the cuddle pile that had taken over the captain’s cabin. Donghyuck would apologize to Taeyong and Doyoung later. For now, he answered Mark’s grin with a smile of his own and held his arms up in the air, and open invitation. 

It took some manoeuvring from Mark to not knee Renjun shins or kick Chenle on the head before he could carefully lower his body onto Donghyuck’s, resting his head on his chest, one ear over where his heart was beating. It was a familiar weight, one that Donghyuck welcomed for the warmth and comfort it gave him. He could only hope that Mark was oblivious to the way his heart tried to beat out of his chest to kiss the tip of his ear. 

“How are you?” The whisper mingled with the slow breaths and occasional snores in the room. 

Donghyuck reached out to bury his hand into his best friend’s hair, faintly scratching the back of his head and waiting until Mark let out a sigh to give his answer. “I’m better.”

With a soft hum, Mark grabbed Donghyuck’s hand and intertwined their fingers over his chest. Donghyuck begged to all powers that would listen that Jaemin wasn’t able to feel the way his ears heated up where Donghyuck was leaning against the top of his head. “Good,” Mark mumbled. “Why weren’t you sleeping, then?”

“I was waiting for you.”

“Well, I’m here now. Go to sleep, lily pad.”

Donghyuck chuckled and then yawned right after, the warmth surrounding him from all sides making his eyelids feel heavy. It didn’t take long for him to succumb to his dreams, not when he could hear the calm breaths of his friends. Not when Mark was tracing patterns on the back of his hand. _I’m here._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Married Seulrene with a witchy cottage core aesthetic? Yes.
> 
> Was that... was that some pining I sensed there? 
> 
> Once again, you can't pry 7dream even from my cold dead hands.


	6. Song of a Siren

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It’s a map for further East than any of us has ever been to,” Taeyong said as Doyoung opened the scroll and spread the map onto the table. Donghyuck eyed the assortments of islands on it curiously. Most of them were small, cluttered here and there like stars on the ocean. There were a couple of bigger islands, too, and a piece of what looked like a mainland in the very Northern edge. Taeyong cleared his throat and when Donghyuck looked up, their gazes met. “And one of the islands has been marked.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Sorry that you had to wait this long for a chapter. I wasn't home for over three weeks and I have finals next month, so there's significantly less time to write. But I hope this massive (10,8k) chapter is worth the wait!
> 
> Enjoy <3

_Donghyuck_

_My son, my rising sun_

_I love you so much_

_I’m sorry_

Donghyuck leaned on the railing of Morning Star, letting a lazy wind coming from the sea play with his hair as he dangled the charm from his fingers, the iridescent scales echoing the turquoise shade of the water as if they were almost see-through. There were four scales on the charm and each of them had their own short message. A message for Donghyuck. From his siren mother. Donghyuck didn’t know how it worked, how one could trap their voice inside a scale and how he could hear it inside his head. But then again, it didn’t seem that impossible for a siren to be able to do such a thing with their magic. 

Ever since he woke up that morning with only Mark and Jeno left on the bed, speaking quietly, Donghyuck had felt at odds with himself. Everyone kept telling him that he was still the same person that he used to be, but Donghyuck didn’t think he was. He didn’t think he _could_ be. He would look down at his hands and they didn’t feel like his now that he knew that there was magic inside his veins. Something that he couldn’t control. Something that wasn’t _his_. The part of him that was siren was his mother’s. It was a stranger, living in his veins, in the pit of his stomach, wrapped around his ribs and settled against the lump in his throat.

He’d wanted to raise his head from where it was buried against Mark’s chest, feeling the soft vibrations there as he spoke, telling Jeno about the places they’d been, about looking for oysters at the Blood Reef. Donghyuck had wanted to raise his head, he’d wanted to look at Mark and then turn to Jeno and ask them: ‘What if I can’t be the same Donghyuck anymore?’, ‘What if I don’t _want_ to be him anymore?’ _Would you still love me?_

Instead of voicing those questions that threatened to bubble up his throat and spill past his lips, he’d swallowed them down and let out a sleepy groan instead, shoulder brushing against Jeno’s as he leaned away from Mark and turned on his back. “Where’s everyone?” he had slurred once he’d opened his eyes and Mark and Jeno had gone quiet.

Nervousness had stirred in Donghyuck’s stomach when Mark had reached out to brush his hair from his eyes. “While you were still sleeping, we figured we should find out as much as we can about sirens. That way we can find out more about your powers as well.”

Jeno had stretched his arms above his head with a yawn before speaking. “Jisung and Chenle went to check if there are any old records about sirens at the village hall. Jaemin and Renjun have gone to visit Irene’s grandma. She’s the oldest person on the island so she ought to know the most about sirens and the Purge and everything in between.”

Donghyuck’s throat had run dry. He’d brought a hand up to twiddle with his necklace. “Isn’t that suspicious?” His voice had been small when he’d spoken and it had made him close his eyes tightly in frustration. “People will start wondering why we want to know about sirens all of a sudden.”

“I don’t think Irene’s grandma will think that anything odd is going on since Jaemin has been whining at her for all kinds of stories since he learned how to talk,” Mark had said calmly. “And well, Chenle and Jisung… they weren’t planning on telling anyone what they’re doing or why.”

Donghyuck had sat up, turning to look at Mark and Jeno with wide eyes. “They’re going without permission? They’ll be in so much trouble if anyone catches them sneaking around in the village hall! You both know Chenle’s dad already disapproves of their friendship, what will he say if he finds out about this? He’ll call Jisung a bad influence and it will be my fault, why would you let them-” 

Jeno had placed a firm hand on his shoulder, making him stop his frantic gesturing. “First of all, they’re not going to get caught. Second of all, neither Chenle nor Jisung cares what the chief thinks about their friendship. You remember how his first attempt at keeping them apart went, don’t you?”

Donghyuck had pressed his mouth shut before nodding. That had been when Chenle ran away. 

Shifting his leg, Mark had pressed closer to Donghyuck. “Nothing will ever keep those two apart,” he’d said with a grin on his lips. “They’re a lot like us, aren’t they?”

Donghyuck’s tense shoulders had relaxed and he couldn’t help but chuckle along with Jeno. They really were. 

Johnny was on the deck when they had finally decided to emerge from the captain's cabin. He was smoothing down a chipped part of the wooden blanks with a concentrated furrow in his brow. He’d looked up when he had heard their footsteps, an easy smile lifting the corners of his lips. 

Donghyuck had made his best attempt to return it, but his nervousness had gotten the best of him. Sure, he'd gotten the approval of his childhood friends, but he hadn't talked with the crew of Morning star yet, apart from Taeil. 

But Johnny was also the kindest person Donghyuck had ever met. The man would probably befriend a sea monster if he ever got a chance. He would accept a half-siren, wouldn't he? 

Donghyuck hadn’t gotten enough time to think about it before he had been lifted from his feet and into a tight embrace. It had been easy to melt into it, all the tension that had managed to build up in his body had seemed to evaporate from his muscles as Johnny squeezed him until he thought his skin was going to bruise. “I love you, kiddo. You better not have forgotten about it.”

Donghyuck had pressed his cheek against Johnny’s before whispering into his ear, “I love you too.”

Once Johnny had let him down and Donghyuck had fixed his shirt where it had gotten ruffled up, he’d cleared his throat. “Where’s the rest of the crew?” He’d asked, wrinkling his hands together. “I kind of wanted to talk to all of them.”

Johnny had scratched at the back of his neck, grimacing a little. “Well, when Jisung and Chenle came out of the captain’s cabin and told us where they were heading, Doyoung, Taeyong and Yuta decided to join them. Doyoung wanted to see if they would have maps that he isn’t familiar with.”

“And they’re going to be a great distraction from whatever Chenle and Jisung are doing,” Donghyuck had added with a raised brow, making Johnny shrug with a weak grin on his face. Donghyuck had taken a breath before haltering. “They’re… they’re not avoiding me, are they?”

“No!” Johnny had answered, bringing his hands up. It was too fast. Donghyuck had pressed his mouth into a thin line, his hands balling into fists by his stomach. “I mean,” Johnny had started to explain with a pained expression on his face. “I really don’t think it’s about you, Hyuckie. It’s just that Doyoung… he’s overthinking things.”

“Ah,” Donghyuck had mumbled before letting out a sigh. “I’ll talk to him when I get the opportunity.”

Johnny had given him a tight smile. “We already tried to tell him to speak with you, but, well, you know him. Anyway, Jaehyun and Taeil are in the galley so you should go beg them for something to eat.”

Donghyuck was brought back from his musings and into the present by the sound of footsteps on the walkway as well as the soft murmur of a conversation. He took a moment to run his pointer finger over the third scale on the charm, the _I love you so much_ echoing in his head and filling his chest with a wave of mixed feelings. Yearning, confusion, bitterness, mourning. 

“Duckie!” The yell came from the other side of the deck, undoubtedly Jaemin. Donghyuck let out a breath before pocketing his charm and turning around. Renjun and Jaemin had returned from Irene’s grandma’s cottage. Renjun was carrying a basket on his arm, meanwhile Jaemin had something that looked like a book in his hand. 

Donghyuck stepped away from the railing and walked to meet them halfway in the middle of the deck. It was a half-cloudy, half-sunny kind of day, the clouds passing over the sky and dimming the sunlight once in a while. Faintly, on the shore, Donghyuck could hear birds chirping. He wore a tight smile when he reached his friends and Jaemin pulled him to his side “How did it go?” Donghyuck asked them, trying his best to keep any sign of hopefulness out of his tone. “Did you find out anything?”

“We did,” Renjun said, keeping his voice level. Donghyuck was unable to figure out if it was good or bad. Maybe it wasn’t either. Maybe it was both. Renjun held up the basket he was carrying, covered by a checkered green cloth. “We got some pastries as well!” 

Donghyuck’s lips quirked up into a smile. “Shall we go to the galley, then? Might as well share them and the news with everyone who is here at once.” He didn’t even finish speaking before Jaemin was leading him towards the double doors at the back of the ship.

Jaemin set the worn-out book he had been holding in his hand down on the table. _Diary of_ , read the partly chipped gilded letters on the front, the letters of the name having fallen apart too much to be recognizable. The book was bound by a strip of leather, the binding having suffered from both time and usage. Donghyuck swallowed dry, pushing the rest of his lemon muffin over to Mark who sat next to him. He’d lost his appetite. 

Mark’s hand was comforting where it rested against the nape of Donghyuck’s neck as he picked up the remains of the muffin and stuffed them into his mouth unceremoniously. Donghyuck wrinkled his nose at him before leaning closer to his side, his free hand settled between Jaehyun’s palms where he sat on Donghyuck’s other side.

“This,” Jaemin said as he tapped on the cover of the book with his fingers, “is a diary that a siren hunter left behind to Irene’s grandma’s cottage when he went and joined one of the final big hunts of the Siren Purge.” 

Donghyuck was regretting eating so many of the pastries. They had been delicious, but after Jaemin’s words his stomach started to churn uncomfortably and he was afraid he would end up having to excuse himself and rush outside to empty his stomach over the railing of Morning Star.

Renjun cleared his throat, giving Donghyuck a knowing look. “Since there have never been sirens on our island or the ones nearby, what we know of them is only hearsay. Same goes for Irene’s grandma, although she did house a siren hunter, she didn’t have much of importance to tell us.” Renjun’s jaw was set tight and Donghyuck knew he was keeping something to himself. “But she gave us this diary that we should find some information in.”

Jaemin nodded along to Renjun’s words before taking his turn. “We all know that the Siren Purges started twenty years ago, about a year before Hyuckie was born. They lasted ten years, at least in these parts of the sea.” Jaemin ran a hand through his hair, tugging at the brown strands before continuing. “There hasn’t been a sighting of a siren for as long as I can remember, not one that has been proven to be real. That doesn’t necessarily mean that none of them survived the purge, though.” He met eyes with Donghyuck. “You did.”

“If there are still hunters, there are still sirens,” Taeil murmured from next to Jaehyun.

A shudder ran down Donghyuck’s spine, and it wasn't because he was cold. “At the markets, near Blood Rief,” he said quietly, eyes on his own clasped hands over the table, “when I got a bit lost, I ran into a man who tried to sell me siren scales. Now, looking back on it, I think he was a hunter. He- he told me that just because the purge is over, doesn’t mean sirens are gone.”

Next to him, Mark let out a breath. He gestured towards the diary. “Should we... open it?”

Jaehyun squeezed his hand. “Hyuckie?”

Shaking his head, Donghyuck leaned forward and met eyes with Taeil. “You have the best education out of all of us, it will probably be easiest for you to read it.”

Taeil stared at him for a moment before he nodded and slid the book closer to himself. He cleared his throat before he opened it. “Oh! Uhh, the first page has been ripped off. I’ll just- start from the next one.” He lowered his head to see better before clearing his throat and beginning to read.

“ _There are few interesting pieces of information surrounding sirens that don’t necessarily have anything to do with how to defeat them, but I find them fascinating nevertheless. Let’s just say that these are things that put them apart from us, the humankind, whether it is in superiority or inferiority does not matter to me. Sirens are vi-_ uhh,” Taeil winced before he looked up from the book, “I don’t think this part is relevant, let me just skim through until I find pieces of actual information.”

The room stayed quiet, waiting. The air was mixed with curiosity, tension and the relief of being surrounded by friends.

 _“_ Alright, here we go. _Most sirens have emerald green eyes which glow whenever they are using or attempting to use their powers. Although I have come across individuals with shades of sapphire blue and gold as well. I believe they are rarer, but I do not know if it has to do with their powers or not._ ”

“ _It is a common belief that sirens are a developed species of mermaids that adapted to living their life on land. Some signs of that remain on their bodies, for some more than others. They have scales on their cheeks, over their cheekbones, as well as on their neck and shoulders. Some have scales on their feet as well, and I have also come across individuals with remnants of fins growing between their fingers and toes. They shed their scales in a period of time - my estimation is between three and six years - before new ones grow back as if they were fingernails, or the teeth of small children.”_

Taeil spent a few more moments flipping through the pages of the diary before closing it carefully. “The following logs seem to be focused more on his travels than on sirens, but if it’s alright, I’d like to keep this and read through the whole thing. I’ll let everyone know if I find things that could be of importance.”

Donghyuck nodded along to the others, biting the inside of his lip. Jaehyun broke the unusual atmosphere in the room. “Well, that was something! It was definitely interesting if nothing else.”

Letting out a sigh, Donghyuck rested his chin on top of his hands while leaning over the table. Mark trailed his hand down his spine and it made Donghyuck’s eyes flutter shut before he spoke. “But I don’t have any of those features. No scales, certainly no fins, and my eyes are brown. So this doesn’t really help us so far, does it?”

Mark let out an odd sound beside him and everyone at the table, including Donghyuck, turned to him with their brows raised. He was smiling sheepishly and Donghyuck was pretty sure there was a hint of a blush on his cheeks when he spoke, looking right into Donghyuck’s eyes, “Actually, you _do_ kind of have small green dots in your eyes. It might not be easily noticeable, but your eyes are not completely brown.”

Jeno, who was sitting on Mark’s other side, buried his mouth into the crook of his elbow as he started coughing. Oddly, it sounded a bit like laughter. Renjun and Jaemin had matching smug grins on their faces and even the eyes of Taeil and Jaehyun were brimming with amusement. Donghyuck barely noticed any of that, though, because he was staring at Mark with his mouth wide open with shock. “ _What?_ Are you serious?”

Mark shrugged a little sheepishly before nodding. Donghyuck whipped his head around to look at everyone else gathered by the table. “Do any of you have a mirror? I need to see this for myself! How have I not noticed? They’re _my_ eyes!”

The others shook their heads at him. Jeno leaned over the table to catch Donghyuck’s attention. “Well, it makes sense that Mark noticed since he’s the one who looks at y-” The rest of his sentence was muffled behind Mark’s hand and Donghyuck’s best friend gave him a nervous grin.

“Yuta should have a mirror, just ask to borrow one once he’s back.”

Right then, as if by a miracle, there was a knock on the door and Johnny peeked his head into the room. “The other’s are back!”

Donghyuck scrambled out of his seat and ran through the doors, nearly pushing Johnny over in his hurry to get to Yuta. Doyoung and Taeyong were having a heated discussion as they stepped up the walkway, arms gesturing and their voices rising higher and higher. Chenle and Jisung were trailing behind them with matching nervous expressions on their faces. After them, Yuta was walking along the pier at a relaxed pace, his hands resting behind his head as he looked up to the sky and whistled a tune that Donghyuck couldn't hear. There was likely no tune anyway because as far as Donghyuck remembered, Yuta couldn’t whistle.

Taeyong turned away from Doyoung with a huff when he noticed Donghyuck approaching them. “Hyuckie, can you tell this idiot-”

“Sorry, not now!” Donghyuck interrupted him as he rushed past the gap between the two, “I need to talk to Yuta!”

He ruffled both Chenle and Jisung’s hair, making them groan with complaints before he passed them too. “Yuta!” He called out, making the other look up at him in surprise. “Do you have a mirror on you?”

Donghyuck reached him as soon as Yuta let his hands fall down, a blank look on his face before he reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a small hand-held mirror, its edges decorated with lines of gold. “Here you go.”

Feeling a little breathless, Donghyuck grabbed it in both of his hands and immediately brought it up to his face, closer and closer until only one of his eyes could be seen from the reflection. Like that, looking very, very closely, Donghyuck could see small green spots hiding among the regular brown colour of his irises. As if minuscule pieces of emeralds were trapped inside his eyes. “Wow,” he breathed out, blinking as he brought the mirror away from his face and handed it back to Yuta, who was looking at him in curiosity.

“What were you looking at?” He asked, his earrings twinkling as they caught the light of the sun.

Grinning, Donghyuck pointed at his eye before leaning closer to Yuta. “I have green dots in my eyes! Can you see them? They’re really small.”

Yuta’s brows raised in surprise before he leaned forwards, his nose almost brushing against Donghyuck’s as he squinted. “Huh,” he let out before leaning back with a small smile playing on his lips. “Yes, I can see them. How did you find out?”

Donghyuck shrugged. “Mark told me.” As Yuta’s lips lifted into a smirk, Donghyuck frowned. “Hold on, how did _he_ know that?”

Yuta didn’t get to give him what he thought was the answer before someone was calling out their names. “Hyuckie! Yuta!” It was Chenle, leaning over the railing of the ship. Jisung held onto the back of his best friend’s shirt with wide, worried eyes. “We need to talk about what Sungie and I found, get up here!”

Yuta snorted as they headed towards the walkway. “Actually, it was me who found the map, Jisung and Chenle just found the box that it was kept in.” He shrugged, theatrically wiping a hand across his forehead. “But I’ll let the kids take the credit, I guess.”

Donghyuck only rolled his eyes, smiling at Taeyong who was holding one of the galley doors open for them. The other door was held by Doyoung, who avoided Donghyuck’s eyes. With a suppressed sigh, Donghyuck decided that he would seek him out and talk about things as soon as there was a fitting moment to do so. 

For now, he headed over and sat down where he’d been seated previously, between Jaehyun and Mark. “What is it, then? What did you find?” He asked as soon as his thigh was pressing against Mark’s. 

The galley doors closed as Doyoung and Taeyong stepped into the room and the both of them decided to stand by the head of the table. “A map,” Doyoung said, tone neutral as he held out a hand towards Chenle who grinned with triumph before pulling out a scroll from where he was holding his hands behind his back. Beside him, Jisung looked just as proud, resting his arm on Chenle’s shoulder.

“What’s so special about this map?” Johnny asked from where he had taken a seat next to Renjun. He had a small piece of wood in his hand and was carving it with a pocket knife. It seemed like he had only just started because it didn’t look much like anything yet.

“It’s a map for further East than any of us has ever been to,” Taeyong said as Doyoung opened the scroll and spread the map onto the table. Donghyuck eyed the assortments of islands on it curiously. Most of them were small, cluttered here and there like stars on the ocean. There were a couple of bigger islands, too, and a piece of what looked like a mainland in the very Northern edge. Taeyong cleared his throat and when Donghyuck looked up, their gazes met. “And one of the islands has been marked.”

Donghyuck’s eyes flickered back on the map and he noticed the island that had been circled with red right when Doyoung pointed his finger at it. “How do we know that this could help us?” Mark piped up, running his hand up Donghyuck’s spine before resting it on his shoulder. “How do we even know that it has anything to do with sirens?”

“The box we found it in was labelled as ‘Siren Purge’,” Jisung said, twisting the sleeves of his shirt in his hands. Jaemin, who he was standing next to, noticed the movement immediately and held onto his hand, effectively making him stop. “So it must have something to do with sirens, otherwise it wouldn’t have been in there.”

“We think the marked island was the target of an attack,” Taeyong said, voice much softer than what the topic entailed. “It must have been an island where sirens lived and were raided during the purge. Or at least that was what had been planned with this map.”

Donghyuck was gripping the side of the table with his hands. It felt like there was a thunderstorm going on inside his stomach. “What are you saying?” He asked quietly. “That we should go there?”

“We should,” Taeil said from the other end of the table, still skimming through pages of the siren hunter’s diary. 

Donghyuck turned to look at him with his lips parted. “What?”

“I agree,” Johnny said before setting down his knife and the wood he had been carving. “We should sail there as soon as we can.”

Shrinking back from the table, Donghyuck brought his hands close to his chest and clasped onto the front of his shirt. He tried to grasp onto how he was feeling and what exactly was making him feel like sinking through the floorboards, but after finding out about his mother, it felt as if his sense of self was slipping through the gaps between his fingers, no matter how hard he tried to hold onto it. “Why?” He asked quietly. “Why should we go there? The waters are more dangerous out there.”

“Hyuckie has a point,” Jaehyun said, resting his chin on his hand. “It will be a risky sail to take. And what if we go there and the island is empty, deserted? It would be fruitless as well.”

“Or what if it’s not empty,” Yuta chimed in, his expression hard for Donghyuck to read. “What if we run into sirens?”

Opposite of Donghyuck, Renjun cleared his throat. “I know it’s not exactly my business and my opinion doesn’t really matter because I’m not part of this crew, but,” he sent a small smile to Donghyuck before turning to Taeyong, who had a thoughtful expression on his face, “if you plan to help Hyuck to figure out how to control his powers, _this_ ,” he gestured at the diary and the map,” is not enough. All the information that we have so far is from humans. Humans… we don’t know what it’s like to have magic inside of us. I think- I think you should go.”

Jeno seemed to be on the same wavelength as Renjun as he spoke from next to Mark. “If the island is deserted, you might still find something that links to sirens, maybe _their_ own writings.” Jeno paused, shaking his head a little. “If they write, I don’t know. But the point is, even if the island ends up not being inhabited, that doesn’t mean it would be a useless voyage. And if you end up running into sirens, which is quite unlikely since they’re practically extinct, just prove to them that you’re not a threat. I know it probably doesn’t sound very easy and what do I know anyway, but I think Donghyuck could help with that if it were to end up happening.”

Taeyong hummed as he looked down on the map, thinking. He fixed the sling around his shoulder before speaking, “Those are some very good points.”

“There are pirates to the East,” Doyoung said so quietly that Donghyuck almost didn’t hear it. There was a faraway look in his eyes. 

Taeyong’s expression turned pained when his brow furrowed. “I know, love. We must avoid them as best as we can. No matter what, you stay out of their sight, okay?”

For a long moment, the two of them just stared at each other, having a wordless conversation through their eyes only. Finally, Doyoung’s jaw clenched. “Fine.”

Donghyuck’s breath caught at the back of his throat as Mark gently massaged the tightened muscles of his shoulder. “So we’re going? Right?” He asked.

“If everyone agrees with it,” Taeyong said, looking from crew member to crew member as they nodded one by one. Taeil and Johnny nodded eagerly, while Yuta and Jaehyun took moments longer to think it through. 

Donghyuck’s stomach swooped when everyone turned to him, waiting for his answer. He let his eyelids fall shut and breathed long and deep. When he opened his eyes, he made sure that his gaze was determined. “None of you is allowed to get hurt, you hear me? I would never forgive myself.”

“Hyuckie, you can’t ask that from us, or take that responsibility to yourself. We’re making our own choices to go, and whatever comes with those choices is not something you can blame - or credit - yourself for,” Taeyong said, voice stern.

Even though he knew Taeyong was right, Donghyuck couldn’t help himself from huffing and turning to Mark, pointing a finger at his face. Mark’s eyes crossed as he stared at it, almost touching the tip of his nose. “ _You_ are not allowed to get hurt. No matter whose fault it is. You- your mother would kill me.” _It would kill me._

A slow grin spread over Mark’s lips, one that Donghyuck wanted to wipe away as soon as it formed. “I’ll do my best, I promise.”

Chenle let out a snort. “To not get hurt or to _get_ hurt?”

Donghyuck’s eyes widened, but before he could actually poke Mark’s face with his finger, _painfully_ , Mark clasped both of his hands. He laughed at Donghyuck’s narrowed eyes and it was hard to keep scowling. “I promise I’ll do my best to not get hurt! I’ll be there for you.”

“Okay, Okay!” Taeyong clapped his hands together, effectively reminding Donghyuck that there were other people in the room. “We’ll leave at sunrise in two days. There are preparations to be done and everyone has a job to do.” He pointed at Jeno, Jaemin and Renjun, as well as Jisung and Chenle. “You included.”

“I wish you could stay for longer,” Jaemin said by Donghyuck’s ear when he hugged him tight in front of Morning Star. The first rays of the rising sun were making the sea glimmer like diamonds. There was a tight pressure in Donghyuck’s throat but he ignored it, focusing on the feeling of familiar arms around him and the faint but comforting scent of wood and copper. “I know you’re the happiest when you’re sailing at sea, but we’re not the same without our Duckie and Markie. I’m gonna miss you so much, more than that whole ship of yours could carry.”

Donghyuck chuckled, blinking fast before clearing his throat. “I’ll miss you too, I do, all the time. One day… one day, when you have no duties holding you back here, we’ll take all of you guys with us on a trip. I promise.” 

“You better hold yourself onto that,” Jeno piped up behind Jaemin’s back before he pulled the other apart from Donghyuck - with a struggle and a sulking Jaemin - to take his place in Donghyuck’s arms. Behind him, Renjun and Mark were holding each other at an arm's length, hands on each other’s shoulders as they spoke quietly with small matching smiles on their faces. Jaehyun and Yuta were humouring Jisung and Chenle, teaching them some kind of a game where they clapped their hands together. “Working at the inn is nice, but it’s very monotonous. I’m dying to have some adventures with my best friends.”

Humming, Donghyuck hooked his chin over Jeno’s shoulder just as Johnny crept up from behind Chenle and Jisung and swooped up both of the screeching and laughing boys in his arms. He laughed at the sight before speaking. “I would love that,” he said sincerely, pulling back to smile at Jeno. “After I’m better, we’ll do it, okay?”

Jeno’s eyes crinkled into crescents with the force of his smile. “Yeah, okay.”

Goodbyes left Donghyuck both warm and hollow. He didn’t know how long he would be away for, just that it would be for too long and that he would miss the part of his family that he was leaving behind tremendously. Even though he didn’t know when, he was sure that he was coming back. He felt it deep in his core. It wouldn’t be the last time he saw all these faces that he loved, or heard all these voices that sounded like home. 

Earlier in the morning, his parents had held him and kissed his cheeks and forehead, reminding him that he was and always would be loved by them. Before boarding Morning Star, he told Jisung and Chenle to keep their troublemaking to the minimum, advice that they would definitely follow. Half-heartedly. He held Renjun’s hands and reminded him of how beautiful his smile was. “It better be the first thing I see the next time I step on this pier,” he’d said with a grin while Renjun only rolled his eyes, nudging at him to step on the walkway. 

As soon as his feet met the deck, Donghyuck headed for the mainmast. He climbed onto the lookout post and waved at his friends until they turned into small blobs in the distance. After that, he sat there and stared at his home island until it disappeared from sight as well. 

Mark joined him when the sun was completely up and they sat in silence, shoulders and knees touching. There was no need to speak because they both knew they were feeling the exact same urge to both turn the ship around and make it go faster to their new destination. It was a struggle between two kinds of happiness, familiarity and adventure. Through both of them, what remained the same was that they had each other.

It was two - going on three - days into their voyage when Donghyuck finally had the right timing to confront Doyoung. Their map reader had been avoiding him, although he had been trying to be subtle about it. Still, Donghyuck noticed how he seemed to retreat from the deck as soon as Donghyuck set foot on it, how he turned and engaged himself in conversation with other crew members whenever Donghyuck walked towards him and their eyes met.

So, after two days of the ridiculousness, of Doyoung coming to the galley to take his plate of food with a soft-spoken thanks to Jaehyun and retreating to the captain’s quarters to eat it with the pretence of planning routes and drawing new maps, Donghyuck decided to make an end to it. 

That is how he found himself out of his hammock during the middle of the night - after making sure that Mark was sleeping soundly, no nightmares plaguing him this time - and knocking on the door of the captain’s quarters. The three brisk knocks echoed across the vacant deck and Donghyuck shivered a little in his sleepshirt, the mist in the air making the temperature of the air feel colder than it actually was.

There was the sound of rustling and creaking of floorboards on the other side of the door before it opened slowly. Taeyong, blinking sleep away from his eyes, gave Donghyuck a small, knowing smile before grabbing his coat from a hanger and sliding past him. Donghyuck listened to his footsteps, the sounds getting further and further away from him and closer to the very front of the ship where one could peek over the railing to see the figurehead. 

When Donghyuck stepped into the room and closed the door behind himself, Doyoung was sitting on the edge of the bed with his gaze trained on the ground and a frown in his brow. The sheets were crumpled by the foot of the bed and the only light source in the room was a flickering candle on the bedside table. The wax was barely taller than Donghyuck’s pinky. 

“What are you doing here at this hour?” Doyoung asked. His voice was quiet, but it seemed almost louder than cannons in the quietness of the ship.

Wood creaked. Small waves crashed and broke against the hull of the ship. Doyoung still wasn’t looking at Donghyuck. “What are _you_ being an idiot for?” He deflected, crossing his arms over his chest where he stood by the closed door.

Doyoung snapped his head up so fast that his dark hair fell out of his forehead. When his gaze finally met Donghyuck’s his eyebrows were raised high in offence. “Excuse me?”

Donghyuck took a step closer to the bed, arms still crossed over his chest. “Do you hate me for being half a siren?” He asked, managing to speak the words before his throat closed in on them and chained them to his vocal cords. 

“No!” Doyoung exclaimed immediately, startling both Donghyuck and himself with the loudness of his voice. Then, he let out a sigh, shoulders deflating as he curled in on himself. “Of course not.”

Donghyuck let his arms fall back to his sides. “Then why are you avoiding me? If the reason isn’t that you hate me, then it must be something stupid.”

“I don’t hate you, Hyuckie,” Doyoung said softly before chuckling. “Even when you get on my nerves.”

“Then what changed after I told all of you about my real parents?”

Doyoung patted the mattress next to him. “It’s not about you as much as it is about me.” He waited until Donghyuck sat down next to him - leaving a small gap in between them - before he continued. “You know about my father, don’t you?”

They both stared ahead into the room as Donghyuck swallowed before clasping his hands together. “I know that he’s a pirate. But what exactly does it have to do with this? I don’t think I understand.”

“When I was twelve and he came to take me with him to the sea, he told me about sirens. It was about the same time as the Siren Purges were ending.” Doyoung paused for a moment, glancing at Donghyuck, waiting until he nodded before continuing. “Pirates were a big part of the purge, actually. Most of them were normal sailors until they started hunting down sirens and realized that they could profit off of what they were doing. And when they started to run out of sirens, they realized that they didn’t want to stop. They enjoyed the life of violence and destruction. So they moved onto terrorizing humans.”

Donghyuck let out a breath. A cold, uncomfortable tremor travelled through his whole body. “Your father? Was he-”

“He hunted sirens.” Donghyuck thought back to a jar full of siren scales and shut his eyes tight, wishing for the memory to leave his mind. Doyoung’s voice shook when he spoke, “Maybe I would have too, if I had gone with him.”

Donghyuck couldn’t help the pained twist in his own expression. Still, he reached out to place a hand on Doyoung’s arm, feeling a rush of relief when the other didn’t pull away from it. “But you didn’t. You didn’t go with him.”

With his eyes glistening in the weak light of the candle, Doyoung turned to him with his jaw set tight. “And he made me regret it, more than anything else in my life, for as long as I will live.”

Donghyuck didn’t know the whole story. He just knew about the raid on Doyoung’s hometown. How the streets had been painted with blood and the poor robbed even of their clothes. How Doyoung had left and never looked back, blaming himself for it all. “I can’t blame you for that. I don’t even want to.” Turning fully towards his friend, Donghyuck took both of Doyoung’s hands in his. “But what’s this business with avoiding me? Did you think I would blame you for what your father has done to sirens?”

Doyoung didn’t even need to open his mouth. Donghyuck saw it in his eyes right away. The shame, the weight that had been forced onto his shoulders. “I don’t,” he said, quick and absolute. “You’re not your father’s actions, Doie. Just like you don’t hate me for being born from a siren, I won’t hate you for being fathered by a pirate who hunted them. Even though you regret it, I’m glad you refused to go with him. You belong to this family and we would be lost without you.” Donghyuck paused before grinning. “Because, you know, you’re our best map reader.”

Doyoung snorted, shaking his head with a smile on his lips before he pulled Donghyuck into a hug that was less stiff than usual. “I’m glad you’re part of us, too. Even though you live to torment me.”

“You love me, though.”

“Yes, somehow.”

Donghyuck’s giggle echoed in the room. “I love you, too.”

On the sixth day of their trip, the ship was gradually running out of supplies. Mostly fresh ingredients for food, apart from fish, much to Jaehyun’s annoyance. Water they had plenty of left, but it was always good to get more of it whenever possible. The seas had been mainly peaceful during their journey, apart from a few other sailor ships and a merchant ship that they had passed. On the fourth day, Mark had been up on the lookout platform and swore he spotted a pirate ship with his spyglass. Taeyong had made sure that Morning Star’s course was a way away from where it seemed to be heading. 

The island that they were about to visit was small and barren, rows of carelessly built stalls and a few haphazard buildings starting right where the piers ended. It hadn’t been on the map that marked the siren island, but since it had been right on their course, they had decided to take the risk and resupply there, as it seemed like it worked mainly as a marketplace. 

But something was off, Donghyuck could feel it as Morning Star slowly neared the docs and the sound of laughing, arguing, hammering and whatnot turned from a murmur into a low roar. The sun had set moments ago, leaving the sky being lit by countless stars and an almost full moon. It was getting colder and Donghyuck had pulled a dark brown coat on his shoulders to keep himself warm. There was a knot in his gut. 

It didn’t take long before he saw the reason for it. Most of the stalls on the marketplace - the ones that Donghyuck could spot from the ship, anyway - had black flags on them. Donghyuck was just about to turn around and call out to the other crew members before someone placed a hand on his shoulder and he heard Taeyong’s voice by his side. “It’s a black market,” he said, quiet and calculating.

Donghyuck turned his head to look at him, but Taeyong’s expression was unreadable. “What are we going to do?” He asked.

“We’re going to resupply here, as we had planned.” Before Donghyuck could protest, he continued, the tone of his voice rising just a bit. “If we leave right now, when we’ve just come to the pier, we will raise suspicion. Yes, black markets are mostly occupied by pirates and our plan was to stay away from them but we can’t help it now. Let’s just hope most of these people are resellers and not actual pirates, get what we need and leave as soon as we can.” 

Donghyuck tightened his grip on the railing before turning around. The rest of the crew was standing on the main deck as well, apart from Yuta and Johnny who were tying up the sails. From the serious expressions on their faces, Donghyuck assumed that they had heard Taeyong’s words, or at least realized where they were. 

Taeyong cleared his throat before raising his voice to carry over to Yuta and Johnny as well as the others. “I will go and try to find us a new map or two so we can find out more about these waters that we’re sailing on. Taeil, you can go get water - if they have it here - and take Mark with you. Jaehyun, gather whatever food supplies you’ll need. The rest of you will stay here.”

Doyoung stepped forward, his gaze burning as he opened his mouth to speak. Taeyong cut him off before he had a chance. “No.” 

Shaking his head, Doyoung balled his hands into fists. “No, Taeyong. I’m coming with you,” he said, his tone leaving no room for arguments. “Unless you want to get scammed by some lowlives because you can’t recognize a credible map as well as I can.” He huffed before gesturing at the sling that Taeyong was still wearing. “And I’m not going to let you walk around alone when one of your hands is out of commission.”

“But-”

“I can handle myself. I’ll even wear a hood if it makes you feel better, although I doubt it makes any difference. It’s been over ten years.”

With a reluctant sigh, Taeyong let his shoulders fall before nodding. Doyoung let out a breath before hurrying to the captain’s cabin to fetch a coat that he could hide with, as if afraid that Taeyong would up and leave without him if he took too long. Looking at the way Taeyong stared after his lover with badly veiled worry in his eyes, Donghyuck thought that he might.

He cleared his throat, effectively snapping Taeyong’s attention back to himself. “I’m going with Jaehyun.”

Mark let out a surprised noise where he had been on his way below deck to search for buckets. “What? Hyuck-ah, you-”

Setting his jaw, Donghyuck only spared him a glance before turning back to Taeyong, who was staring at him with a mild expression of surprise on his face. “I’m going.”

“Taeyong, you can’t let him,” Mark protested, a pleading tone in his voice.

Taeyong brought a hand up to massage the bridge of his nose. “I’m not the one to tell him what he can’t and cannot do, I’m not that kind of captain. Hyuckie is allowed to make his own choices.” He turned to Donghyuck, his gaze serious. “Be careful. Even though no one can outwardly tell what you are, you still can’t control your powers. If you slip up...”

Donghyuck had to hold himself back from gritting his teeth. “I know.”

The paths between the stalls were lit up by rusty lanterns held up by sticks of wood. They swung in the wind and made lights bounce around from people’s faces, from the jewellery and metallic pieces of scrap that some of them were selling. The smell of rum was strong in the air, mixing with the scent of salt that the wind brought from the sea. Donghyuck didn’t need to look for the source of the smell, most of the bigger buildings by the street were some kind of badly executed pubs. He guessed the only drink of choice was rum.

Jaehyun was speaking with a young girl, likely in her teens, who had a patch over one of her eyes. The other one was nearly pitch black. She was selling bread, on a small stall a little further away from the main bustle of the harbour. Donghyuck tuned into the conversation just as she spoke, “Takes a lot of guts for simple sailors to enter a place like this.”

Jaehyun chuckled, offering her a few coins before stuffing four lumps of bread into the sack he was carrying. “Even a simple sailor knows that pirates follow a couple of rules. Black markets are even ground, no fighting or thieving allowed unless you want to get banned.”

The girl gave him a bright smile. “You only get banned if you get caught.” Then, for just the blink of an eye, Donghyuck could’ve sworn her eye turned white before returning to its previous dark colour. She tilted her head to the side, eyeing Jaehyun curiously. “But maybe - just maybe - you will be smart enough to survive from what life is going to throw at you. Let me give you a word of advice, sailor: Long knives leave long scars. If you’re not careful, they’ll slice up your heart.”

Jaehyun stepped back from the stall, his face a shade paler. “Thank you?” He grabbed onto Donghyuck’s arm and they started walking away in brisk steps.

Donghyuck had to take in a few breaths before he was able to speak, the sight of the girl’s eye changing colour so drastically flashing behind his eyelids every time he blinked. “What was that about?”

Jaehyun let out a nervous chuckle. His shoulders were set on a tense line. “I have no idea. I’m hoping I won’t find out.”

They only passed a couple more stalls before Donghyuck’s eyes caught something that made him pause. Jaehyun didn’t notice until a few steps later. He turned around with a frown on his face. “Hyuckie?”

Donghyuck didn’t answer him. He couldn’t get his mouth open, his lips were frozen stuck. Jaehyun walked over to him and set a hand on his shoulder before he followed his gaze and took in a surprised inhale. 

There was a stall resting right under a black flag. Behind it, a man in his mid-thirties was slouching on a chair with his feet on the wooden table in front of him. On the table, there were just a couple of items, all of them jars. None of them empty. 

If Donghyuck couldn’t have recognized siren scales by their looks, he would have by the pull he felt in his chest when he saw the row of jars full of iridescent colours. For a brief moment, he wondered if they had their own messages to tell. If he were to touch one, would he hear a voice in his head, one that wasn’t his own? Would they sing him a song?

Then, his eyes flickered over to a pair of jars that stood out from the others. Those ones were filled with some sort of greenish liquid and inside them were floating...something. Donghyuck had never seen anything like them and struggled to understand. He stepped closer without noticing. They were almost like pieces of raw fish meat, thin and smaller than the palm of his hand. There was a pair in each jar and they were glimmering softly, in a golden colour. Like they were magic.

Pulling his coat better around himself and swallowing tight, Donghyuck stepped forward and met eyes with the man sitting behind the table. His hair was long and tied back into a ponytail, uncovering a wide scar of an old gash on the side of his face. “What are they?” Donghyuck asked, pointing at the pair of jars.

Leaning forward, the man tilted his head a bit to the side. “Sorry? Can you repeat that, young fella?” He pointed at one of his ears before letting out a chortle. “This one don’t work no more, nearly got killed by a feisty siren back during the purge.”

Donghyuck struggled to give him a thin smile. It probably looked more like a grimace. Still, he repeated himself. He needed to know. “What are they?” He pointed at the liquid jars and their contents again.

The man raised a brow at him, his broad shoulders shaking as he chuckled and brought a hand up to his face to rub at his stubbled chin while eyeing Donghyuck curiously. “Those would be vocal cords from sirens. Expensive stuff, but worth it if you can afford ‘em.”

Donghyuck’s heart jumped to his throat. _Vocal cords? From sirens?_ The words sent chills down his back and he didn’t even realize he had taken a step away before Jaehyun’s arm pressed against his back. He had to force himself not to swallow before he sputtered. “W-what?”

Amusement glinting in his eyes, the stall owner shook his head disbelievingly. The grin on his face made Donghyuck feel sick. “You must not be from ‘round here if you haven’t heard about the power of these things! Folks say sirens are nothing without ‘em, and they give luck and power to us. I even heard a fella say using a siren’s vocal cords brought his crewmate back from the brink of death.”

Donghyuck felt the colour drain from his face and he had to ball his hands into fists to keep himself from bringing them up to his throat to protect his own vocal cords from the man in front of him. Jaehyun stepped past him, subtly pulling him behind his back before he leaned forward to speak to the man. “That’s very interesting. I wonder where-”

“Donghyuck! Jaehyun!”

Eyes widened in surprise, Donghyuck whipped his head around - finally able to look away from the jars - at the familiar voice calling for their names. Jaehyun did the same and together they backed away from the stall, not bothering to bid their goodbyes. They began to weave through the crowd, into the direction where Mark’s voice had come from.

Donghyuck sighed when he spotted his best friend who almost ran into a drunken couple before he noticed him and Jaehyun and rushed over, uncaring of the slurred complaints that were yelled at him. The water in the bucket in Mark’s hand slushed against the lid when he stopped in front of them. They stepped into a quieter path to not be in the way of the moving crowd.

Mark was panting as his eyes flickered over Donghyuck like he was checking him for injuries. Annoyed, Donghyuck crossed his arms over his chest. “What were you yelling for? You drew way too much attention to yourself, and to us.”

Finally, Mark stopped scrutinizing him with his gaze and met his eyes instead. His Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed. “There- there are siren hunters here, I heard them talking. We need to leave, now.”

“We know, we just met one,” Jaehyun said calmly, keeping his voice down.

Mark turned to look at him with wide eyes and before he could speak, Donghyuck cut in. “Stop panicking.”

“But Hy-”

“I don’t outwardly look like a siren, do I? The only way they would know I’m one is if I use my powers. _You_ are the one people were looking weirdly at just now, so calm the hell down.” Mark’s nostrils flared, but Donghyuck kept speaking, not giving him an opening to argue back. “Why won’t you let me have a chance to feel like who I used to be? Just this once, I wanted to forget that I’m not like you guys.”

Stunned by his words, Mark stared at him in silence until his shoulders deflated. “I’m sorry, I-”

“Whatever. We already got everything Jaehyun needs so let’s just get back to the ship.” Donghyuck pushed past Mark and started walking back towards Morning Star. He had just referred to himself as a siren like it was nothing. As if it didn’t make him feel like he was splitting open from inside out, self-loathing rearing its ugly head below his ribcage.

Taking in a deep breath, he willed the blood in his veins not to boil over and the low simmering in his chest to calm. He just wanted to get back out to sea. He wanted to go sit at the bowstring of their ship and watch as the ocean opened up, pretending for a moment that he was just a part of the wind blowing against his face and spread open arms. To forget what he was, oh, by the heavens how he wanted to do that, even if it would be only temporary.

With the island being so small and the black market even smaller, finding their way back to Morning Star didn’t prove to be difficult at all. The three of them were walking across the pier and to the ship when the sounds of a commotion from behind them reached their ears. Donghyuck turned around just in time to see two figures step onto the pier and run towards them. 

“Get into the ship! Quick!” It was Taeyong, pulling Doyoung behind himself with his healthy hand. There was a fresh, dark bruise on the map reader’s cheek. 

Donghyuck was quick to turn around and sprint to the ship, the others following right at his heels. Thankfully, the part of the crew that was waiting on deck had noticed what was going on and was in the midst of preparing for a quick departure. Donghyuck spotted Taeil manning the helm. Good, everyone was there. 

As soon as Taeyong and Doyoung made it to the deck, Mark and Jaehyun pulled up the walkway. A group of men ran down the pier, faces twisted in anger, violent words spilling from their lips. Morning Star started drifting away and Donghyuck let out a breath. He didn’t get to feel relieved for long though, because one of the men, wearing a wide hat of a captain with a skull on it, raised his gun and aimed it right at him. 

“Get down!” He screamed, ducking behind the railing right as the gun went off. There was a thud and when Donghyuck turned around with his heart hammering in his chest, he saw that the bullet had buried itself into the mainmast. Kneeling behind the railing just a few feet away from him, Mark stared at Donghyuck, his face drained of colour. Donghyuck brought a hand up to fiddle with the beads of his necklace. _That was close._

A heavy silence settled onto the ship as it sailed to the open sea. Johnny broke it with a huff, walking over to the mainmast to inspect the damages. Donghyuck got up from his knees, grunting as he felt the ache of the bruises that he would surely have by the next morning. He dusted off his pants and turned to Taeyong and Doyoung to ask them what happened, just as Taeyong lost it.

“What were you thinking?” He yelled, so loud that it echoed across the ship and over to the ocean. His sling had fallen off his shoulder, no longer offering any support for his healing wrist. Donghyuck was sure that the adrenaline in Taeyong’s veins was the only thing keeping him from grimacing in pain. “How could you be so reckless? If they recognized you, if they realize who you are- If _he_ finds out-”

“Tae,” Doyoung said. It was quiet, but it made Taeyong go silent anyway. He was shaking, his free hand balled into a fist. There was so much fear in his eyes that Donghyuck had the urge to rush over and tell him that it was going to be alright. Doyoung beat him to it when he stepped forward and took Taeyong’s face in his hands. His knuckles were split open. 

When Doyoung pressed his forehead against Taeyong’s, Donghyuck let out a soft breath and turned away, not wanting to intrude on a moment that clearly wasn’t meant for him to witness. His gaze met Mark’s, and the other’s eyes were shining brighter than the stars.

Doyoung’s whispers travelled to their ears. “It will be alright, love. We will all be alright. I promise you that.”

Donghyuck thought he saw a light flash in Mark’s eyes. A shooting star, maybe. Something in his chest bloomed and burned.

Someone was singing in his dream. Donghyuck was standing on a beach, the sand soft beneath his feet. He was looking out to the sea, but it was too foggy to see much. At first, he thought that the voice he heard behind himself was his mother’s, but it didn’t have the same feeling as the messages in the siren scale charm. Donghyuck was about to turn around and see who it was when the fog closed in on him and he couldn’t see a thing.

When he blinked his eyes open, it was still dark in the room of the crew. In the corner of his eye, he could see Mark sitting up in his hammock, back as straight as a blank. Frowning, Donghyuck looked around the room. The rest of the hammocks were empty. He knew Johnny had decided to stay in the helm for the night, but why was everyone else awake?

Sitting up fully, Donghyuck reached out to place a hand on Mark’s shoulder. “Where’s everyone?” He asked, voice heavy with sleep. Mark didn’t answer him, he didn’t even move an inch. Frowning, Donghyuck shook his shoulder. “Did you have a nightmare again?” 

Still no answer. Donghyuck had never seen his best friend sleeping while sitting up. Feeling uneasy, he shook him harder. “ _Mark?_ ”

The other took in a deep breath before he shook his head to himself and turned to Donghyuck, frowning. “Hyuck-ah?” He slurred, words sticking together as if he was drunk. “I feel weird. My brain… it’s all fuzzy.”

Worried that the other was coming down with something, Donghyuck climbed out of his hammock and helped Mark to do so too. His limbs moved slowly as if he was struggling to control himself. After he had him stand in front of him, Donghyuck brought a hand up to feel his forehead. When their eyes met, he froze. 

Mark’s pupils were dilated and he was struggling to focus his gaze on Donghyuck. But that wasn’t the reason why Donghyuck’s heart fell into the pit of his stomach. It was the grey swirls of smoke trying to cover his eyes, like fog. He had seen it before, when he had lost control for the first time. _Oh no._ With a gasp, Donghyuck realized one terrifying thing. 

The singing. It hadn’t stopped when he’d woken up.

“Sirens,” Donghyuck whispered. He couldn’t recognize the words that were being sung, but the long, stretched out noises made his spine prickle.

Mark blinked slowly. “What?” His eyes were almost entirely grey. “My head hurts… I don’t wanna let go.”

He was fighting against it, Donghyuck realized. He felt a bang in his chest. _Focus, Donghyuck._ He wasn’t entirely immune to the magic in the song either. He felt a little lightheaded, a bit like he wasn’t entirely awake just yet. Donghyuck pressed his hands against the sides of Mark’s neck. “Focus on me, Mark, just for a little longer.”

He waited until the other took in a stuttering breath and nodded, the fog in his eyes clearing just slightly. “Good, good. Stay by me, okay? I’m gonna- I’ll take care of you, I promise.” Donghyuck had to force the last words out, breath hitching when Mark’s eyes got covered completely and his shoulders went lax. Suppressing a shudder, he grabbed the other’s hand firmly before turning around and heading onto the deck. 

It was still night time and Donghyuck guessed it had been less than a few hours since they all went to bed, apart from Johnny. Donghyuck’s chest tightened when he realized the ship was surrounded with fog. Just like in his dream. Just like in Mark’s eyes. Even worse, the song was louder, the voice echoing everywhere.

_I can hear the night_

_Calling me_

_Luring me_

_Into the dark_

Shaking his head to himself, Donghyuck tried to push away the feeling that was trying to take over him. Mark’s hand was clammy in his, but he was afraid to let go of it. He turned them towards the helm of the ship and froze. 

The rest of the crew was standing there, faces devoid of any expressions. They were all gathered around the wheel, like moths drawn to a light, steering the ship together. _What are they doing?_

Donghyuck should have acted faster. He should have stopped them, somehow. But it was too late when he realized what was going on. Two things happened at once. A jarring sound ran through the night, loud enough to drown out the siren’s song momentarily. Donghyuck fell forward onto the deck, toppling over Mark in the process. He let out a pained noise as Mark’s knee hit him in the ribs. Still, he refused to let go of the other’s hand. 

_No, no no no. It can’t be._ There was no mistaking it. The sound of the hull of the ship taking in water. The siren had lured them to wreck the ship. The wood gave a loud groan as the ship sunk further into the rocks it had run into and Donghyuck’s whole body was seized with terror. He scrambled up, pulling Mark with him. 

Just to see Johnny walk over to the railings and jump into the sea, Taeil and the rest of the crew following right after. As if it was nothing. Like this ship wasn’t their _home_. “Stop it!” Donghyuck yelled. “Stop it!” It was useless. Yuta was the last one to go, still in his sleepwear. 

Donghyuck wanted to cry. He wanted to scream at them to come back. He sobbed when Mark started tugging him towards the railing. “Mark, no,” he pleaded to ears that could not hear him. “Please.” The siren was still singing and Donghyuck felt powerless. He was powerless.

_And if you were my lover_

_I know_

_I’d pull the stars from the sky_

_Just for you_

The ship was tilting, making it harder for Donghyuck to stay on his feet. Mark seemed to not have the same problem as he kept pulling Donghyuck along. “Mark, stop. Please, you know I can’t- I’m afraid!” He thought about being trapped in a little pond, the pressure on his chest and the pain in his head. For a moment, he thought about letting go of Mark’s hand. But how could he let go of the hand that had saved him before? Mark would save him again, Donghyuck had to believe it.

Mark climbed onto the railing. With tears falling down his cheeks, Donghyuck did the same. The hand he was holding squeezed him tighter. Donghyuck’s heart jumped in his chest. _I trust you. Even like this, I trust you._

Mark jumped. Donghyuck followed.


	7. The Island

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Green. Emerald green so rich, so deep that it made his breath hitch. The eyes were the first thing he saw, shining faintly as if something was lit up behind them, something bright that didn’t come right through. Like magic. When Donghyuck’s gaze flickered away from them just a little bit, he spotted high cheekbones, covered in shimmering scales. Then he remembered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm both excited and terrified to post this chapter.   
> Let's just get to it, shall we?

Donghyuck felt uncomfortable. It was the first thing he noticed once he started regaining his consciousness. His clothes were wet and heavy, sticking to his body and making him feel like he was suffocating. He was cold and there was sand sticking to all the exposed parts of his skin, making him tingle all over. His mouth was dry and tasted like salt, just like every breath he took into his tender lungs. The only reason he was still relaxed enough to not open his eyes was the fingers running through his hair and the lap that his head was cushioned upon.

“Mark?” He called out, voice coming out as a whisper, slipping past the numbness of his lips. The fingers in his hair stilled before they lifted and moved on to caress his face, fingertips lightly tracing over his cheekbones as if looking for something. Donghyuck’s nose wrinkled up. The touch wasn’t warm enough to be Mark’s. The humming sounded nothing like him, either.

_ The humming? _

With his heart beginning to frantically beat in his chest, Donghyuck blinked his eyes open. 

Green. Emerald green so rich, so deep that it made his breath hitch. The eyes were the first thing he saw, shining faintly as if something was lit up behind them, something bright that didn’t come right through. Like magic. When Donghyuck’s gaze flickered away from them just a little bit, he spotted high cheekbones, covered in shimmering scales. Then he remembered.

The song. The shipwreck. His friends jumping into the sea one by one.  _ Mark. _

Donghyuck shot up from the siren’s lap and scrambled away from it on his hands and feet, slipping as the soft sand gave out beneath his desperation. He tried to breathe through the panic that was gripping his throat, his ribcage feeling like it was locked in place, keeping his lungs from expanding. The siren tilted its head to the side curiously, silver hair swept back by the salty winds of the ocean. It- No,  _ he _ . He was gorgeous. Donghyuck was terrified deep into his bones. 

Was that how he would look if he was a full-blooded siren? Near human but not enough to ever be able to fit in? Perfect in a way that made one’s fight or flight instincts kick in? Would one glance towards him make the word ‘magic’ echo inside someone’s brain, both a warning and a bait?

With a high, breathless noise escaping his throat, Donghyuck tore his eyes away from the siren and turned towards the beach to look for his friends.  _ They must be here- They  _ have _ to be here.  _ If he had made it out of the water, then the others had to have made it too. They must have.

They had.

Johnny, Taeil, Taeyong, Doyoung, Mark, Jaehyun, Yuta. That was the order they were standing in, a strict row by the edge of the water. So still that Donghyuck wasn’t even sure that they were breathing. As if they were carved out of stone, with their slack expressions and glazed over eyes. Donghyuck dug his hands into the sand, fighting against the way his stomach was convulsing.

“Do not worry,” the siren said, pausing his humming, “you are safe now.” Donghyuck whipped his head around to look at the creature who was still sitting in the same position he had been holding Donghyuck in, with his legs folded under himself and his hands resting upon his lap. The shine of his eyes was gone, but they were still shimmering, promising of powers that were beyond human.

“W-what?” Donghyuck managed to blurt through his dry throat. His teeth clicked together and he wasn’t entirely sure if it was from coldness or fear, or a mixture of both. 

The siren’s lips twitched into a small smile and Donghyuck had to wonder how something so dangerous could look so gentle. The creature pointed a finger towards the crew of Morning Star.  _ Could we even be called that anymore? Morning Star must be halfway in the bottom of the sea somewhere nearby.  _

Donghyuck had an urge to grab the siren’s wrist, scared of what he could do with even a snap of his fingers. Yet, he held himself back, curling his trembling hands into fists where they were still buried in the sand. “These humans, they had you captured. “ The siren’s smile grew wider, showing teeth that were just a bit too shiny and a bit too sharp to look like a human’s. “I saved you.”

Donghyuck’s lips parted in surprise. For a moment, he could do nothing but gape at the siren like a fish out of water. Then, once a shudder ran through his spine, Donghyuck started shaking his head. “No! No, they’re my friends!” He exclaimed, the sound travelling across the beach and making both his and the siren’s eyes widen. “Don’t-” Donghyuck began, swallowing tight, “Don’t hurt them.”

The siren blinked at him a few times before he threw his head back and burst into laughter, pearly and bright. He seemed to almost glow when he did so. If the circumstances had been different, Donghyuck likely wouldn’t have been able to keep his own lips from twitching up into a smile. 

Once the siren calmed down and the small crescent-shaped dimples on his cheeks disappeared, he looked at Donghyuck with amusement twinkling in his emerald eyes. “Humans are not our friends, fledgling,” he said, voice light but absolute. “Humans are evil.”

Shaking his head again, Donghyuck silently blamed the salt in the air for the burning feeling of tears welling up in his eyes.  _ This must be a nightmare. I’m still dreaming. None of this is real.  _ He wanted to believe in his desperate thoughts, but the tug he felt in his gut told him otherwise. Shaking his head once more, Donghyuck quickly got up on his weak feet. Staggering backwards from the siren, he spoke again, voice wavering, “No.” 

He turned around and hurried to his friends. The full moon was bright in the middle of the sky and Donghyuck gasped as he saw Morning Star, far behind Taeyong’s shoulder, her hull pierced by a sharp rock rising from the sea like a blade. His heart was breaking for himself and his friends as he kept walking, forcing his knees not to give in. 

Between Doyoung and Jaehyun stood Mark, wet from head to toe like the rest of them, a few droplets of saltwater still running down his face. Looking at him made Donghyuck’s stomach turn. It was too similar to the fight that they’d had weeks ago, to the way Donghyuck had unleashed his powers on the other. 

Something was different though, different about this time and different about Mark compared to the others. With a stuttering breath, Donghyuck stepped closer to him and saw it. 

Whereas everyone else seemed to be in a relaxed stance, the muscles of Mark’s body were tense, his hands balled into fists. With a quivering hand, Donghyuck reached out and tried to pry Mark’s fingers open. No matter how hard he pulled, he couldn’t. 

The humming started again, right behind him. Donghyuck flinched before stepping closer to Mark out of instinct, turning to look at the siren with his heartbeat hammering in his ears. “He was the hardest one to tame,” the siren said, eyeing Mark curiously. “You have already done it, have you not?”

Wrapping a hand around Mark’s bicep, Donghyuck wanted to cry. He wanted to burrow himself into his best friend’s chest and not reappear until breathing didn’t make his lungs ache anymore. Until all of this would be gone and he wouldn’t have to face it. But Mark was too deep inside the trance that the siren had lulled him into, he probably had no idea that Donghyuck even was there at all. “It was an accident,” he finally said once he found his voice. It was a weak sound, just loud enough that the siren was able to hear him. 

The siren furrowed his brows in confusion and Donghyuck’s heart trembled in his chest like a wingless bird trying to get out of its cage. Defeated, but still trying. “Let him go,” he demanded, the veins in his throat pulling tight with the effort to keep his voice stable. 

Taking a step back, the siren bristled as he pressed his lips into a thin line. He’d stopped humming again but the magic was yet to wear off from Donghyuck’s friends. There must have been a way to pull them back from it. Donghyuck had done it when he’d accidentally used his voice on Mark, but he had no idea how. 

“Please,” he continued when the siren balled his delicate hands into fists, looking like he was ready to throw them back into the sea if any of the humans were to suddenly step forward. “I promise he won’t hurt you.” He did his best to show his sincerity through his eyes, even though his whole frame was shaking like a leaf during a summer storm. With only one scream the creature in front of him could kill all of them. Yet, Donghyuck had to try. “He’s never done anything but protect me.”

It felt like hours, the amount of time that the siren just stared at him. Donghyuck felt like he was looking at the shape of his soul right through his pupils. He stayed put, holding onto Mark like a lifeline and too afraid to even turn his head and check on the rest of the crew. 

Finally, after it felt like Donghyuck had spilt all his secrets onto the sand for the siren to observe, the other sighed, his anger melting into mild aversion that still whispered warnings of danger. Donghyuck had to keep himself from backing away when the creature stepped closer and snapped his fingers in front of Mark’s face, speaking in a smooth voice that demanded to be heard, “ _ Wake up. _ ”

He moved back just as the fog cleared from Mark’s eyes. Mark took in a shaky breath, his muscles releasing themselves from the lockdown they had seemed to be in. He looked around in panicked confusion until his gaze found Donghyuck, tucked into his side and feeling like he was close to collapsing. Then, in a flurry of motion, Donghyuck found himself pressed against Mark’s back as the other stepped between him and the siren. 

Burying his face between his best friend’s shoulder blades and grabbing two handfuls of the back of his shirt, Donghyuck did his best to just breathe. Everything felt like too much. The sound of the waves crashing against the cliffs on the far right side of the beach, the thundering of his own heartbeat in his ears. Most of all, the odd pull he felt in his veins, towards the siren standing in front of Mark. 

Yet there, with his forehead pressed against the nape of the safest person in the world to him, everything felt a little more subdued, a little easier to deal with. It was a piece of home and he latched onto it as he felt Mark taking in deep breaths. He didn’t know if the other was doing it to calm himself or Donghyuck, but it worked either way.

“You are lucky this fledgling cares for you, sailor boy,” the siren spoke. Donghyuck thought he sounded almost amused. “He seems to think he was not captured.”

Donghyuck both felt and heard Mark’s surprised inhale. “He- he wasn’t captured,” Mark insisted. It was easy for Donghyuck to notice the high pitch of his voice as nervousness. “We’re friends, we’re all friends.” He jostled Donghyuck slightly as he gestured to the crew. “None of us wants to hurt you, we weren't even sure if there would be sirens here. We just- we only came to look for something that could help.”

“Help?”

Donghyuck felt Mark’s spine move when he turned his head to the side to look at him, but he refused to raise his head to meet the other’s gaze, his hands quivering where they were clutching onto his best friend’s shirt. He wanted to slip into unconsciousness and wake up surrounded by his childhood friends, knowing that the rest of his family, the crew of Morning Star, was just on the other side of the ship, below deck. When he closed his eyes more tightly and breathed in deeply, he could almost convince himself it was going to happen. 

“Hyuck-ah?” Mark tried to coax Donghyuck, bringing him back to reality. His voice wasn’t trembling at all, as if he wasn’t scared of the siren that had just had him under his spell. Donghyuck nearly caved in. Nearly. 

“Lily pad?” Mark tried again, softer this time. Donghyuck couldn’t remember a single instance where he had been able to refuse Mark anything, not when he called him that. Not when he used the nickname he had used to tease him with, but which had somehow, over time, turned into something more meaningful than it ever should have been. As if it was the key to a secret that was buried deep within Mark’s chest, one that he didn’t dare to show anyone else but Donghyuck. 

Feeling like warm coals were floating behind his ribs, Donghyuck forgot about the siren and looked up. As soon as Mark’s gaze met Donghyuck’s from the corner of his eye, he let out a silent sigh. Yet, he pulled the corners of his lips into a reassuring smile anyway. Satisfied with whatever it had been that he had been searching for when he called Donghyuck out of his hiding spot, Mark turned back to the siren. Donghyuck opted to look over Mark’s shoulder, bringing one of his hands up to fiddle with the back of Mark’s necklace. Thank heavens it was still there.

“He needs your help,” Mark told the siren, tilting his head towards Donghyuck. “He- we only recently found out that he’s a half-siren and he doesn’t know how to control his powers.” Mark paused, hesitating. Donghyuck traced his thumb over the ridges of the top of his spine. He knew what Mark was about to say. He was giving his permission. “He’s scared of himself and I- we don’t know how to help him. Please, help us.”

Letting out a curious sound, the siren tilted his head as he scrutinized Mark with his gaze, just like he had done to Donghyuck. For a moment, Donghyuck held his breath until he realized that there had been no magic behind the noise. He could sense it in the air. It was getting less thick, less overwhelming to breathe into his lungs. “You want to  _ help _ a siren to control his powers?”

“Donghyuck isn’t a siren to me,” Mark said. Donghyuck’s gaze flickered to the side of his face and his fingers itched with the need to wipe away the drop of seawater that was slowly running down his temple. He held himself back. Mark shook his head a little before he continued. “I mean- it’s just a part of who he is but it doesn’t matter to me. What matters is that he’s my best friend and he needs help.”

Donghyuck’s next inhale was shaky, but he reached out to wrap his hand around the fingers of Mark’s right hand, holding tightly as he took a small step to the side. The siren broke the staring contest he’d had with Mark to meet Donghyuck’s eyes where he was still half-hidden behind Mark. Donghyuck was shocked to find an emotion akin to longing within the emerald shade. Then the siren blinked, eyes travelling past Donghyuck before looking back at him. The emotion was gone. “The rest of the humans are about to wake up. I may believe that they do not want to hurt  _ you _ , but I have no reason to believe that this uncommon sentiment extends to me.” 

Before Mark or Donghyuck could protest, the siren’s tone turned so chilling it sent shivers down Donghyuck’s spine. His eyes seemed to turn a shade darker with his words. “I will not feel any remorse in protecting myself if they give me the need to do so.”

Donghyuck squeezed Mark’s hand before he stepped forward, letting go of it and fully standing in front of the siren. He tried to will himself to stop shaking but it didn’t help that he was cold, exhausted and still, admittedly, scared of the creature whose lap he had woken up in. But he also knew he was the only person in their crew that the siren had any resemblance of trust towards. Although it was merely because of the magic Donghyuck had in his blood, he had to use it as a way to protect his friends. “None of us wants to cause you - or anyone else - any harm, I promise,” he said, showing the siren the palms of his hands as if in a gesture of peace.

The scales on the siren’s cheekbones seemed to catch the light of the moon, turning silver, as he took in a breath, his mouth pressed into a thin line. Behind them, Donghyuck heard Mark gasp as their crew fell on their knees into the sand one by one, breaking free from their trances. As the siren’s eyes flickered to the others and he took a step back, Donghyuck realized that the creature was terrified. It made a tight ache press down on his heart and he cleared his throat, gaining the siren’s attention back on himself. Maybe the two of them weren’t that different after all. “What’s your name?”

The siren paused for a moment, brows furrowing as if he was taking time to remember. When he spoke, he sounded almost uncertain. “Jungwoo. My name is Jungwoo.”

Donghyuck pulled his lips into a smile, hoping that it looked at least mildly reassuring. He did his best to ignore the confused sounds and the coughing of his friends as he kept the sirens - Jungwoo’s - attention on himself. “Okay, Jungwoo,” he repeated, testing the name out on his tongue. The siren’s shoulders hiked up and he smiled faintly. He looked at Donghyuck with so much  _ hope _ in his gaze that it made him dizzy. “My name is Donghyuck,” he said, relieved when his voice didn’t waver, “but my friends call me-”

“Hyuckie!” Both Donghyuck and Jungwoo jumped at the yell and Jungwoo let out a sound akin to a hiss. Donghyuck turned his head and saw Johnny rushing towards them. Mark was telling him to stop but he was holding up a pale looking Jaehyun so there wasn’t much that he could do to keep Johnny at bay. 

Donghyuck turned back to Jungwoo and without thinking, took hold of both of his wrists. The siren flinched at the touch but didn’t pull away, staring at still approaching Johnny with a gaze full of resentment and fear. “Jungwoo, he won’t hurt you, I promise,” Donghyuck spoke quickly just as the siren parted his lips. Jungwoo’s gaze flickered to Donghyuck’s and he tried to pull away from his hold but Donghyuck didn’t relent. “Please, trust me. Don’t do anything. Please.”

Jungwoo’s eyes shimmered as they flickered back to Johnny who had reached them and was panting as he set a hand down on Donghyuck’s shoulder. For a brief moment, Donghyuck wondered how on earth Johnny’s yellow bandanna had managed to stay on his head through everything. 

Even though Jungwoo was taller than Donghyuck, he wasn’t as tall as Johnny and Donghyuck watched as a full-bodied shudder went through the siren’s body when Johnny blocked the moonlight and a shadow fell over Jungwoo’s face. Donghyuck let him go when he pulled away this time and the siren balled his hand into fists as he stepped backwards. 

“Oh,” Johnny let out when he looked from Donghyuck to Jungwoo, jaw falling open. Donghyuck jabbed his elbow into Johnny’s side but the other didn’t even seem to notice. “Oh, wow. You,” he lifted a finger and pointed it at Jungwoo. Donghyuck hissed out his name and slapped Johnny’s hand away but once again, Johnny seemed to have forgotten about Donghyuck. “You’re a siren,” he said, stating the obvious.

Jungwoo’s expression soured and he took in a deep breath through his nose, shoulders rising. Donghyuck was just about to jump between the two and do his best to de-escalate the situation when Johnny opened his mouth again. “Oh,” he raised his hands up and took two steps back, his mesmerized expression melting into an apologetic one. “I’m sorry, uh, I didn’t mean to be rude or anything. Or scare you! I probably scared you by running over like that, I’m sorry.”

Letting his shoulders fall, Jungwoo blinked and brought a hand up to hold onto the strings of his plain white shirt. It looked worn out and the neckline dipped so low that Donghyuck was able to see some scales on his collarbones as well. When the siren’s eyes flickered to him in confusion, Donghyuck sighed and stepped forward. “Jungwoo, this is Johnny. He might look a little scary at first but as you can see, he’s really friendly.” When Donghyuck turned to Johnny, the other was looking at him with a sheepish expression. Donghyuck rolled his eyes. “Johnny, this is Jungwoo and yes, he’s a siren. He thought he was saving me from you guys.”

Hearing footsteps on the sand behind him, Donghyuck turned and saw that the rest of the crew had walked closer to them. Most of their eyes were wide as they stared at Jungwoo. Taeyong cleared his throat as he tore his gaze away from the siren and spoke to Donghyuck. His sling was nowhere to be seen and he was clutching his wrist to his chest. “Why would you need to be saved from us?”

Next to him, Doyoung set his hand on Taeyong’s shoulder and raised his brows when Taeyong turned to him. Then, Taeyong’s lips parted and he shook his head. “No,” he stepped forward and addressed Jungwoo over Donghyuck’s shoulder. “We’re not siren hunters! We’re just plain sailors.”

Donghyuck could hear the slow breath Jungwoo let out, even though he was several feet behind him. “Most hunters were just plain sailors before they decided to start taking our lives.”

Jaehyun and Doyoung flinched from either hearing his melodic voice or from the words he spoke. Taeyong’s mouth snapped shut and as soon as Donghyuck saw the hurt flash in his eyes, he turned around to face Jungwoo. 

“We don’t want to hurt anyone,” he felt like he was repeating himself, but he also couldn’t find it in himself to blame the siren for being so untrustful. Jungwoo frowned at his words and Donghyuck raised his brows in a challenge. “Yes, I said  _ we _ . I’m a sailor too, part of the crew. These people are my family, Jungwoo.” He paused and then tilted his head, shrugging. “Well, a part of it, anyway.”

Jungwoo was silent for a long moment. He looked at Donghyuck before his gaze seemed to flicker over all of the crew members and then come back to him again. He brought his hands down to his sides, fidgeting his fingers before he let out a huff. “If any of them come near me it will be the last thing they do,” he said finally. Then, a sigh as he turned around and began walking. “Follow me.”

Donghyuck hesitated for a step before he started following the siren who was walking towards an opening between the rocky terrain that separated the beach from a scarce forest area. He almost fell forward when someone held onto his bicep from behind but he was steadied by the same hand. Donghyuck turned around with a frown to find Mark standing there. His best friend wasn’t looking at him, though. He was staring back where the rest of the crew hadn’t moved to follow them.

They were all facing the sea and Donghyuck swallowed thickly when he realized they were staring at Morning Star’s sorry state. Their ship was not sunken, but it would never sail again, not with that giant rock piercing her hull. Taeyong broke away from the group and stumbled through a couple of steps before he fell to his knees in the sand, shoulders hunching. Yuta and Johnny were quick to follow him and kneel by his side. Donghyuck felt tears prickling at his eyes.

“What is the matter?” Jungwoo’s voice by his shoulder made Donghyuck flinch but he recovered quickly, blinking as he nodded towards the ship. Taeyong had slumped against Johnny’s side while Yuta’s hands were carding through his hair. 

“The ship was our home. More than that to Taeyong, Johnny and Yuta,” he said, gesturing to his friends. “They built Morning Star themselves, with the help of the people of their home island.” Donghyuck’s throat felt tight but he pushed the words past the lump inside it anyway. “Taeyong’s mother passed away from sickness quickly after they had begun the preparations. Even her rose garden withered away during the same week. Johnny carved the figurehead from his memory and the entire ship ended up being made for her honour.” 

Mark turned to look at him when Donghyuck’s voice wavered. The tears in his eyes were mirroring Donghyuck’s own. “Now Taeyong will never sail with her again,” Mark whispered. 

Donghyuck gave him a sad smile, grabbing his hand and holding tight before he turned to Jungwoo. There was a frown on the siren’s face, one of confusion. He stared at Morning Star as a strand of silver hair fell onto his forehead. He used his fingers to brush it aside before he met Donghyuck’s gaze. “You need rest,” he said quietly, before turning around and beginning to walk away once more. 

“Ah, wait!” Donghyuck turned to Mark. “Go tell the others to follow us when- when they’re ready.” He looked down on himself before unwrapping an empty pouch from his belt. “I’ll leave this somewhere along the way so they’ll know where to go.”

Mark nodded. “I’ll be right back!” He glanced behind Donghyuck before jogging towards the rest of their friends.

Donghyuck followed Jungwoo, who was waiting for him by the treeline. Only now did he realize that the siren’s feet were bare. Donghyuck’s own boots felt uncomfortably damp on his feet and he felt an urge to take them off. “Where are we going?” He asked as soon as he was sure that Jungwoo could hear him. 

The siren held up a low-hanging branch as he dipped under it, holding it until Donghyuck did the same. “There is a village near the middle of the island,” Jungwoo said as they continued walking. “Or what is left of it.” 

Donghyuck tried to focus on their surroundings and what the siren was saying but he had to constantly stare at his feet to not trip on the rocks and fallen branches covering the path that seemed to cut through the forest. Among the forest floor grew small and flat circle-shaped flowers that emitted a weak orange glow, helping with lighting the way. 

The silence felt heavy. Donghyuck swallowed, a question ready on his tongue, when the sounds of footsteps neared behind them and he heard a muffled, “ouch.”

With the corners of his lips twitching, Donghyuck stopped and turned around as Mark pushed past an overgrown bush, hands patting at his own hair that, somehow, had caught onto a twig. Donghyuck surged forward when the other in his carelessness to pay attention to where he was walking, tripped onto a rock. “Careful,” he nagged as soon as he caught Mark’s elbows and helped him find his balance.

“Sorry,” Mark said. There was a grin on his face, though, and Donghyuck rolled his eyes before patting Mark’s hands away from his head and pulling the twig out of it, tossing it aside. “Coming on four years at sea and you forget how to live on land,” he muttered as he turned back around. 

Jungwoo didn’t speak a word as their eyes met, an unreadable expression on his face. Donghyuck waited until he continued leading them forward. The path seemed to clear out more among the forest and up in the foliage where the light of the moon shone through, Donghyuck thought he could hear an owl. 

They came to a halt where a small stream split the forest, lowered into a ditch. To cross it, Jungwoo stepped onto the trunk of a fallen tree, walking gracefully until he reached the other side and dropped back down. Donghyuck followed the best he could, spreading his arms out to help balance himself. 

He sensed Mark stepping onto the trunk behind him before a hand grabbed the back of his shirt. Donghyuck let out a breath before taking careful steps to reach the other side. He thought he saw a faint smile on Jungwoo’s face before the siren kept moving.

“Where are the other sirens?” Mark asked then, unable to stand the silence anymore.

Donghyuck saw a barely-there halt in Jungwoo’s step before the siren’s fingers curled into fists. “There are no other sirens,” he said, voice even. The fingers uncurled. “I am alone.”

_ Alone? _ Feeling a pinch of pain at the far corner of his heart, Donghyuck swallowed hard before he spoke. “Alone?” He even struggled to get the word past his throat. Donghyuck didn’t think he had spent a day alone in his entire life. “For how long?”

There was silence for a while, the kind that pressed down on Donghyuck’s shoulders and made him slow down his steps until he could reach his hand back and have Mark grab it immediately. He watched the back of Jungwoo’s head, the way the moonlight made his silver locks shine as if they were liquid. Then the siren finally answered. “Eleven years.”

Donghyuck’s legs froze and Mark bumped against his back, a surprised noise escaping the back of his throat. Blinking against the burning behind his eyes, Donghyuck thought back to the way Jungwoo had been looking at him when he opened his eyes and found himself at the beach. There had been a soft smile on his face, but his eyes had been sad, lonely. Hopefully longing. 

Donghyuck took in a shaky breath, sure he was about to crumble to the ground from the overwhelming pain that he felt for the siren rather than from the exhaustion that was steadily settling into his bones. He couldn’t imagine staying sane with such a huge amount of isolation, yet Jungwoo seemed calm and collected apart from the tension and wary glances that had shown up near the humans.

Mark squeezed Donghyuck’s hand before he cleared his throat, voice just barely trembling as he asked, “You’ve been alone here for eleven years? Why didn’t-” he cut himself off, teeth clicking together as he shut his mouth. Donghyuck knew what he almost said.  _ Why didn’t you leave? _ Where could a siren go where they wouldn’t be hunted?

Jungwoo had stopped walking as well, shoulders tense as he turned to look over his shoulder. “Yes,” he said, like it was nothing to him. “I’m luckier than the others were.” 

Even though it didn’t take much longer to reach the village from there, once they emerged out of the forest Donghyuck wanted to do nothing but lie down on a dry patch of ground by a fire and pass out. He’d left his pouch on the only fork on the path that there had been, trusting that the rest of their crew would be able to find their way easily enough. 

The village… it couldn’t really be described as one anymore. It was ruins of what must have, a decade ago, been a beautiful and serene place to live. Now, most of the wooden buildings had fallen apart, or were at least on their way there, having been slowly reclaimed by the greenery of the forest. In the middle of the area, where there once might have been a marketplace, there was a place for a fire. 

“We should set up a fire,” Donghyuck and Mark said at the same time.

They smiled at each other and Donghyuck couldn’t help but think of Chenle and Jisung, who always seemed to know what each other were thinking, completing each other’s sentences without even noticing it. Donghyuck missed them terribly and he knew that they would be beyond excited to meet Jungwoo, what with their eyes widening in wonder whenever anyone so much as mentioned magic.

Mark nudged his head back towards the forest. “I’ll go gather wood.”

Merely giving him a nod, Donghyuck sat down by the rocks that had been gathered into a big circle, old ashes and remnants of wood inside of it. His clothes were nearly dry thanks to the warmth of the weather, but his boots were still uncomfortable on his feet. He began unlacing them, sighing as his shoulders sagged, forcing down a yawn. 

Jungwoo’s steps were silent but Donghyuck could see him come closer from the corner of his eye. “There are beds in the houses. Some of them are still upstanding, like mine.” Donghyuck raised his head and saw that the siren was pointing at a tiny building further away from the village, at the foot of a small hill. Beyond the hill rose a mountain, nearly high enough to touch the moon. 

“I think we’re going to sleep here tonight,” Donghyuck said, giving Jungwoo as friendly of a smile as he could muster at the moment. “Being near the fire and close to each other will keep us warm.”

Jungwoo stared at him for a few heartbeats before he nodded. “As you wish.”

Finally winning the battle against the lacings of his boots, Donghyuck kicked them out of his feet with a pleased sigh and leaned back on his hands before patting the ground next to himself. Now that it was just the two of them again, like when he had woken up on the beach, Donghyuck felt more at ease. Jungwoo looked soft and gentle when the wariness and underlying anger was gone from behind his eyes. The siren blinked at his gesture, confused, but lowered himself to the ground next to him nonetheless. Donghyuck eyed the scales on his cheeks. “Can I ask you something?”

Jungwoo nodded.

Donghyuck reached for the belt at his hip and from one of the pouches on it, pulled out the box containing his birth mother’s charm. “Do you know what this is?” He asked as he opened the lid. The scales were shimmering silver in the moonlight. 

There was a small smile on Jungwoo’s lips as he opened the palm of his hand and Donghyuck placed the box in it. “Where did you get this?”

“My parents gave it to me.” He paused. “Well, the humans that raised me. They told me it’s from my real mother. She- she was a siren.”

“We make charms like this for our loved ones when we shed our scales,” Jungwoo said softly. “I have shed mine six times, yet never made one.” He frowned as he brought the charm closer to his face. “By the looks of the ripped edges, it seems like these were pulled out before their time.”

Donghyuck felt a shudder go down his spine. Jungwoo met his eyes before hovering his fingers above the scales. “Can I listen?”

Sitting up properly, Donghyuck looked at the siren with his brows raised. “Will you be able to hear the voice too?”

Jungwoo chuckled before nodding. “Only a siren can.”

“Yes,” Donghyuck said through a breath. Part of him had been scared he’d been only imagining, making up the message of the scales to ease the lack of connection he had to his birth mother. It was relieving to know that that wasn’t the case. “Yes, you can listen.”

Jungwoo’s eyes fluttered closed as he pressed one of his fingers against the first scale, slowly trailing it down to the other ones. Crescent dimples appeared on his cheeks as he opened his eyes and looked at Donghyuck. “Your mother loved you a lot.”

“Do you…” Donghyuck’s voice wavered so he trailed off before trying again, “do you recognize the voice?”

Jungwoo’s smile turned apologetic when he shook his head. He closed the box before handing it back to Donghyuck, flinching when their fingers brushed as if the sensation surprised him. Donghyuck tried to keep the disappointment from settling over his heart. It had been silly, to hope that Jungwoo might have known her.

He could hear Mark’s returning steps as soon as the other came out of the forest. It was such a stark contrast to Jungwoo’s silent movements that it made him laugh. “You’re so loud,” he said as Mark neared them, his arms full of thick branches that he’d somehow managed to break into smaller pieces, as well as a few twigs and dry leaves to get the fire going. 

Mark shrugged at him before crouching down and setting everything next to the circle of stones. “Your boots stink,” he muttered, nudging them out of the way before he began to pile up the branches. Donghyuck showed him his tongue just as Jungwoo stood up, dusting himself off.

“I will see if I can find blankets for you,” the siren said before slipping into the nearest house. One of its walls was covered by vines and the roof had caved in.

Mark had just managed to get a weak fire going, ignoring Donghyuck’s laughter for his previous attempts, when Jungwoo came back, carrying a pile of neatly folded blankets. They looked old and worn out, covered in holes and stained with time, but Donghyuck took what he could get.

The siren set the blankets down next to him and Donghyuck was about to say thanks when he heard voices from the forest. “Hyuckie! Mark!” 

Taeil was the first one that emerged from the treeline, holding Donghyuck’s pouch in his hand. Behind him came Johnny, who was carrying a sleeping Taeyong on his back, both Doyoung and Yuta trailing close behind. The final one was Jaehyun, still a bit paler than usual.

With a new wave of nervousness beginning to pool in his stomach, Donghyuck turned to Jungwoo. The siren eyed the crew with a cold gaze, fingers twitching at his sides. “Tomorrow I will begin to train you,” he said, looking back at Donghyuck, expression guarded. “Tell them to not come near my home if they want to keep their lives.” 

Without waiting for a reply, Jungwoo turned around and headed to the direction of his house. Donghyuck let out a sigh and stood up just as Mark stepped back from the growing fire, rubbing his hands together. “Is Taeyong alright?” He asked when the rest of the crew reached them.

Taeil stepped up to place a hand on Donghyuck’s shoulder, eyeing him for a moment before giving Mark a thin smile. “He will be. His wrist is healed enough to be fine without the sling and I did my best to fix up the bandages, but I can’t do anything about the pain when everything I need is back on Morning Star.”

Donghyuck only saw the back of their captain’s head where it was resting against Johnny’s shoulder, face buried into the crook of his friend's neck. It ached to see him like this, the Taeyong who always took good care of their crew and never asked for too much. 

Donghyuck bent down to take one of the blankets Jungwoo had brought him. He carefully laid it down on the ground near the fire before gesturing for Johnny to come closer. 

With the help of Doyoung, they managed to get Taeyong out of Johnny’s back and down on the blanket without waking him up. The light of the fire illuminated the tear tracks on his cheeks and Donghyuck felt a stab in his heart. Doyoung met his gaze as he sat down next to Taeyong’s curled up form, placing a hand on his lover’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. The pain isn’t too bad if it lets him sleep.” Yet Doyoung had a sorrowful look in his eyes as well.

Donghyuck gave him a nod before he began helping everyone else get settled down. Jaehyun fell asleep as soon as he got into a horizontal position, but Donghyuck made sure that he’d drank water first, brought from the well that Yuta found behind a collapsed building. 

Once he finally sat down on his place by Mark, facing the fire, Donghyuck let out a long sigh. Mark reached out to nudge his side. “You okay?”

Donghyuck gave him a distracted nod, gaze trailing over to the tiny house below the hill before settling back to the fire. He was exhausted, confused, still a little scared and sad, too. It was a lot to feel at once, but his body was numb to it. After all, they had found help. They had found someone who knew what was going on with him. 

Donghyuck watched as the fire fluttered, licking up higher into the air. Somewhere beneath the numbness and the warmth that was lulling him to sleep, he could pinpoint budding excitement. “I’m okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, cradling siren Jungwoo to my chest like a child: my baby is the sole reason this fic even exists so if you're mean to him, I will steal your kneecaps and use them as bowls for my late-night cereal <3


	8. Between Worlds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Donghyuck fluttered his eyes open, momentarily disoriented by the brightness of his surroundings. As soon as he could make sense of what was in front of him, his breath caught at the back of his throat and without even noticing it, he squeezed Jungwoo’s hand tightly. “Oh, wow,” he whispered, awestruck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will I ever be able to write a chapter shorter than 6k again?  
> For this fic, probably not.

Mark whined when Donghyuck shook him awake by his shoulder. The sun had barely started to rise but he didn’t feel tired despite the short time he’d been allowed to sleep until he was woken up by Jungwoo’s cold fingers carding through his hair. He felt something bubbling up in his stomach, a mixture of nervousness and excitement. Most of all, he was so curious that it made his fingertips itch. 

Donghyuck kept shaking his best friend until Mark finally blinked his puffy eyes open, grabbing for his hand to make him stop. “Hyuck-ah? Why are you awake so early?” Mark mumbled, voice hoarse from sleep. Their fire was just a pile of smouldering ashes by now, but the rising sun would bring warmth along the day. 

“I’m going with Jungwoo,” Donghyuck answered. “He wants to teach me things about sirens and my powers.”

“Oh?” Mark brought a hand up to rub the sleep from his eye, leaning on one of his elbows for support. “Well, give me five minutes and I’ll be ready to go.”

Donghyuck placed a hand on the other’s chest, pushing lightly until Mark lied back down with a surprised huff. “No. You’re not coming with me.”

Mark’s frown looked even more intense when he was squinting at Donghyuck. “Why?”

With a sigh, Donghyuck lowered his gaze to his own hands, fiddling with his fingers as he spoke, “Because I don’t want any of you to be there in case I lose control.” He remembered Mark’s glassy eyes, the unconscious crew of Morning Star, the slowly shattering glass jug on the inn table. “I don’t want to risk hurting you.” _Again._

“But–”

“No, Mark,” he cut the other off, pressing down on Mark’s shoulder when the other tried to get up again. “Besides, Jungwoo told me that the house back there used to belong to a fisherman. Who knew sirens went fishing as well?” He pointed a thumb over his shoulder, managing to smile reassuringly. “There should be a small boat at the back, it hasn’t been used in a long time so Johnny might need a while to fix it but once it’s safe to use on water, you can head back to…” Donghyuck swallowed, feeling a tinge of pain in his heart, “to Morning Star and gather all the stuff we need.”

Mark let out a long breath, contemplating for a moment before he nodded. “Okay. I’ll talk about it with the others later. Is there something you want me to bring back for you?”

Donghyuck paused to think about it, brushing a stray lock of black hair off Mark’s forehead. “The small bear figurine that Johnny gave me for my eighteenth birthday.” He tilted his head. ”Our quilts? That’s all I need, I think. I trust you’ll know if there’s something else I’d miss.”

Clearly holding back a yawn, Mark nodded at his words. “Got it.” He reached out to take a hold of Donghyuck’s hand. “Be safe, okay? And tell me everything later.”

Donghyuck smiled, squeezing Mark’s fingers. “You too. Don’t do anything too stupid when I’m not there to yell at you.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” the other murmured, already falling back to sleep. Donghyuck snorted quietly before he let go of Mark’s hand and watched as his best friend rolled over and continued to sleep. Then he got up and jogged to the edge of the village where Jungwoo was waiting for him.

They walked along the left side of the mountain, through what looked like it could have been farmland years and years ago. There were only a couple of young trees growing between the tall grass and weeds, frail and almost twigless. A flock of colourful birds flew past their heads, on their way to fill their bellies for the morning.

Jungwoo was quiet as he led the way. Donghyuck felt the urge to remind the siren of his presence. He softly cleared his throat. “How many of you used to live here?” The village seemed small, even compared to the one on Donghyuck’s home island.

“Near forty,” Jungwoo answered without turning his head. The sounds of bugs and birds filled the silence between his words. “Even before humans started hunting us, we were never as widely populated as they were. From what I know of, our village was actually unusually large. Maybe that’s why they found us.”

Donghyuck reached his hand down and let the grass tickle his open palm. The wind that passed by ruffled his hair but he didn’t bother to fix it. He hesitated before voicing his second question. “Will you tell me what happened here?”

He heard Jungwoo sigh before the siren shook his head. “Not today.”

After the farmland came an orchard, one that was still thriving, if not a little overgrown and unkempt. There were countless different types of fruit trees, as well as berry bushes, some that Donghyuck couldn’t recognize. When they passed by one of the largest apple trees, Jungwoo reached up and plucked two of the ripe fruit and handed one of them to Donghyuck. “Eat.”

The apple was the perfect size for the palm of his hand, the colour uneven, changing from red to a yellowish hue. Donghyuck raised it to his lips and took a bite, humming at the pleasant taste that spread on his tongue. He swallowed his mouthful down before he opened his mouth to ask, “Do you take care of these trees?”

Jungwoo was still holding his own apple in his hand. He turned it around, scrutinizing it. “I do what I can.”

The orchard ended into another forest, this one full of life as the sun started making its way past the horizon. Birds were chirping high in the trees and from the corner of his eye, Donghyuck thought he spotted a red fox before its bright tail disappeared behind a bush of dark berries. Next to the path that they were taking, dozens of small white flowers were growing, as if the ground had surveyed the sky during the nights and recreated its own stars.

“We are almost there,” Jungwoo said, stopping in the middle of the trail and offering his hand for Donghyuck to hold. “Close your eyes.”

Donghyuck stared at the siren for a moment, blinking in surprise. Then he smiled, placing his hand on Jungwoo’s awaiting palm. The other didn’t flinch as they touched, though his fingers twitched. Donghyuck closed his eyes and took his steps carefully as Jungwoo slowly led him forward. “I’ve never met anyone with colder skin than mine,” he said quietly, closing his eyes tighter when sunlight managed to get past the foliage and poured down on his face. “All my friends are so warm, but you’re cold.”

Jungwoo let out a knowing hum. “Humans are strange, warm-blooded creatures. They have always lived on land and been in touch with sunlight. Our ancestors, the mermaids, used to live in the depths of the seas, in the darkness. That is why our blood is cold.”

With his lips parting in wonder at Jungwoo’s words, Donghyuck let out a gasp. “Oh, that’s what Taeil thought!”

There was a moment of silence before Jungwoo repeated the name slowly, as if tasting it on his tongue. “Taeil?”

Donghyuck nodded and then realized Jungwoo probably wasn’t looking at him since he was still guiding him. He hurried to explain as he felt his feet walk down steeper ground than before. “He’s part of our crew, the short one with the fading red hair. He’s a doctor, he knows what to do when we get hurt or sick.”

“I see,” Jungwoo mumbled. Shortly after, Donghyuck heard leaves shuffling in front of them, as if a swarm of giant butterflies had just flapped their wings in unison. He was pulled forward, something brushing against his forehead briefly, making his shoulders hike up. Jungwoo pulled him closer until their shoulders brushed and he heard the siren’s voice by his ear. “You can open your eyes now.”

Donghyuck fluttered his eyes open, momentarily disoriented by the brightness of his surroundings. As soon as he could make sense of what was in front of him, his breath caught at the back of his throat and without even noticing it, he squeezed Jungwoo’s hand tightly. “Oh, wow,” he whispered, awestruck.

The area was just as worn out by time as the village was, maybe even more, but Donghyuck still found himself staring at the detailed stone structure crowned by vines and moss, grass peeking out through the cracks on the floor. It was almost like a stage, the kind that the people from Donghyuck’s home island had built out of wood for harvest fests so people could get on them to play music and dance. This one was smaller, though, and entirely made of stone. It had been built in the shape of a perfect circle, surrounded by pillars that held up a dome ceiling. 

Up to the stage led a set of stairs, splitting in the middle. The left one came to a stop a few feet in front of Donghyuck and Jungwoo, while the other curled to the right, into a small lake, its waters glittering in the light of the rising sun. On the far side of the lake, a small waterfall cascaded down a neatly stacked pile of rocks. 

Donghyuck couldn’t hold back a smile, not with the number of lotus flowers and their leaves rising from the depths of the lake. “It’s beautiful,” he said once he found his voice again. “What is this place?” It felt almost otherworldly and Donghyuck wasn’t sure if he should be allowed to stand there or not. If he was worth it or not.

Jungwoo’s delicate fingers reached up to tuck a strand of Donghyuck’s hair behind his ear. The touch was so gentle it reminded him of the mother who raised him. “This is where I learned to control my powers,” the siren told him. “We used to call it the haven. It is where you will learn, too.”

He led Donghyuck to the stairs where they sat down, facing the lake, the siren’s bare feet and Donghyuck’s boots only one step above the surface of the water. It was as if Jungwoo was waiting for Donghyuck to settle, content to be in silence as he let him eye his surroundings, to look at the old weeping willows surrounding the lake and dipping their branches into the water. 

Once Donghyuck let out a soft breath and instead of wrapping his arms around his legs, leaned back on his hands and let the tension in his shoulders melt away, Jungwoo turned to him. “Tell me about your powers,” he said. “How have they appeared so far?”

Donghyuck’s throat closed up as he thought back to what was now some of his worst memories. He struggled to swallow past the feeling before he could speak. “The first time, I was fighting with Mark. He’s uh… the one I asked you to let go at the beach. We– I yelled at him but it felt like _more_. Like something slipped out of my throat along my voice. And then he–” Donghyuck braced his hands against the ground, putting more weight on them to keep them from shaking, “he got this glazed look in his eyes and he was just standing there until I told him to wake up…” Donghyuck trailed off as realization hit him and he turned to Jungwoo. “So he did.”

The siren’s smile was understanding. “You put him in a trance. It is a state where they think they are sleeping but are actually doing everything we ask of them. Telling them to wake up does the trick if you want to let them free.”

Donghyuck felt a little sick with the knowledge that he could control his friends like that. He _had_ controlled Mark like that. Jungwoo seemed to notice it. “It is not your fault. You are a fledgling.” A faraway look took over Jungwoo’s gaze. “Someone I knew gave me a nosebleed when his powers first came to him. I myself made a flock of birds fall mid fly. You will learn to control your powers with practice.”

Nodding slightly, Donghyuck thought about the siren’s words before frowning. “At the beach, you said... “ he shook his head, gathering his words. “How did you know I had used my powers on Mark before?”

“You could see it yourself, could you not? He was resisting, although he was not strong enough to fight off my magic.” He leaned forward and dipped one of his fingers into the lake, creating a minuscule ripple on its smooth surface. “Once a siren has already controlled a human, it will be harder for another one to, in a way, take over. Even though our powers are from the same source, they are different for everyone. The humans’ minds get... attached to the first one that takes control of them.”

A shudder went down Donghyuck’s spine and it wasn’t from the warm breeze within the haven. To have that much power over someone without their will, it was a terrifying thought, creating a heavy stone of guilt in Donghyuck’s gut. “S–so you’re telling me…Mark, he’s–”

“He is most loyal to your call,” Jungwoo confirmed his thoughts, pulling his hand from the water and watching as a droplet ran down the back of it. In the sunlight, the wet parts of his skin glistened like dozens of crushed stars. “The rest of the humans are weak for mine now.”

Donghyuck closed his eyes tightly, fighting against the bout of nausea that was taking over him. He remembered shaking with fear when the older village children told stories about the monstrous deets that sirens could do. “Is it,” he swallowed, blinking his eyes open to push the horrible images of his friends in pain away from his mind, “is it true that you could make them do anything to themselves? Like,” his voice faded into a whisper, “fall off a cliff?”

Turning to him, Jungwoo watched Donghyuck for a moment, his eyes nearly the same colour as the lotus leaves in the lake. “I probably could, yes, but there are more efficient ways to get rid of humans.” When Donghyuck paled, the siren tilted his head, silver hair falling onto his forehead. “I will not hurt your… friends. You tell me you care for them, so I will respect that as long as they give me a reason to.”

“Thank you,” Donghyuck said through a relieved breath. “It must be hard for you to trust them but I promise, they’re not like the ones who have hurt you. They’re good people.” He felt himself smile. “Some of the best I know.”

Jungwoo pursed his lips in thought before his gaze fell back on the lake. “Tell me more. About your powers.”

Donghyuck brought his knees up to his chest before resting his chin on top of them, linking his hands on top of his ankles. “The second time, I really lost control. It was… I don’t want to talk about it.” He didn’t want to go back to that moment where all that he could focus on was that Mark could be gone and his world was crumbling beneath his feet. His chest ached even from the thought. “The situation doesn’t matter. I wasn’t thinking and I started screaming as hard as I could. Everyone around me passed out and I got...sick? For a few days.”

“You overexerted your powers,” Jungwoo said as soon as Donghyuck had closed his mouth. “It imbalances our whole being and we’ll feel weak until we gain our magic back.”

It made sense. The tiredness Donghyuck had felt, how much he'd needed to sleep before it went away. “Well, that’s the times my powers have come out. Apart from those, I only broke a glass jug once but it doesn’t seem that relevant. I’ve been doing my best to not lose control after the screaming incident. It’s when I knew that something wasn’t right with me.”

Jungwoo angled his whole body towards him before he brought a hand up, reaching for Donghyuck with a question in his eyes. “Can I?” he asked, gesturing for his throat. Donghyuck blinked for a few times, puzzled, before he gave the siren a hesitant nod. Jungwoo pressed his fingers to Donghyuck’s throat, his touch gentle. It sent odd tingles beneath Donghyuck’s skin, as if something was doing its best to gather beneath the siren’s fingertips. “Do you sing?”

Taken aback, Donghyuck found himself stammering. “Do I– uh, yes?” He thought about the countless campfires he’d had with his crew and even before that, the late nights spent outside the inn of his home island, learning the drinking songs that the drunkards were singing inside while waiting for Jeno’s work shift to end so they could play hide and seek before the sun set completely. “I do sing.”

Jungwoo smiled, letting go of Donghyuck and settling his hands on his lap. “I could tell it from your voice. It sounds beautiful even when you speak.” The siren brought a hand up to his chin, contemplating. “Our strengths must be similar and that means it will be easier for me to teach you to control yours.”

“What do you mean by similar?” Donghyuck asked, fiddling with the beads of his necklace. He felt like he was between dreams and awakeness. The haven was like another world, one for sirens only. “What strengths?”

“Not all sirens sing, nor do all of us have sweet and tempting voices. Some of us mainly release their powers by yelling or screaming. Some charmspeak, using rhymes to tie in magic to work in a similar way to singing. Our magic is very adaptable and we make it our own as we grow. It becomes a part of who we are.”

Donghyuck frowned. “I’ve never heard of that. In all the stories I know of, sirens only sing or scream. How...” he trailed off, not knowing how to voice the question that was sitting at the edge of his tongue.

Jungwoo chuckled. “Humans think that because those are our best defences against them and it is what they see when they come for us. What they haven’t seen is us aiding the growth of flowers, healing injuries, building,” he paused to gesture at the stairs and the stage. Donghyuck’s lips parted in awe, “or taming animals. They’ve only seen the violent side of our powers, because violence is what they face us with.”

Something in Donghyuck’s chest eased, a tightly tied rope unravelling. “You can do all that? _I_ could do all that?” He looked down, staring at the palms of his hands.

“Yes, but I am not very good at all of them. The orchard likes it when I sing, but it draws in the weeds and I don’t know how to get rid of them without agitating the trees. Building, well, you have seen the state of the village. I have not had much practice with healing, either. My strengths are in controlling animals and humans.” Jungwoo crossed his fingers on his lap, raising his brows at Donghyuck. “But I can teach you everything I know, if that is what you want.”

Donghyuck took in a breath, his lungs filling with excitement. He could learn to grow things with his voice? He could learn to _heal?_ Maybe… maybe his powers didn’t have to be such a bad thing after all. “Yes,” he said, trying to keep still even though he kind of felt like jumping up and down like a child on the morning of their birthday, “please, teach me.”

Crescent moon dimples appeared on Jungwoo’s cheeks with the force of his smile. He ruffled a hand through Donghyuck’s hair and Donghyuck felt a warm tug in his heart. When the siren raised his hands between them and beckoned for Donghyuck’s, he didn’t hesitate to place his hands on top of Jungwoo’s. 

“The first thing you need to learn is to recognize your own magic, to acknowledge its presence,” Jungwoo spoke softly, rubbing the backs of Donghyuck’s hands with his thumbs. It raised goosebumps along the skin of Donghyuck’s wrists. “You lose control because it sneaks up on you, because it is a stranger to you. Once you have claimed it as a part of yourself and feel it in every breath you take, it cannot break out of you unless you let it.”

Donghyuck listened to the words carefully, nodding along when Jungwoo raised a brow at him, making sure that he understood what the other was saying. “I need you to focus on your vocal cords, on the blood that is flowing through your veins.” Donghyuck squared his shoulders and focused inwards, doing his best to let nothing else but Jungwoo’s voice have his attention. “You know that the magic is there. Find the faint tingling feeling inside of you and hold onto it.”

Closing his eyes, Donghyuck tried to remember the feeling of something simmering, bubbling up his chest and into his throat. He went to swallow and a rush of joy went up his spine as he felt it, _something_ running through his body, new but oddly familiar. He opened his eyes with a breathless chuckle.

Jungwoo’s emerald eyes sparkled as he watched him. “You found it.”

Donghyuck gave him a small nod, scared to lose his focus. The feeling was so faint that he was afraid breathing too harshly would make it slip away. 

Letting go of one of his hands, Jungwoo leaned closer to the lake. “When you use your voice, imagine letting some of your magic slip out of your throat along with it. Follow my lead,” he instructed. A few seconds later, the siren began to hum a melody with long, stretched out notes. It almost reminded Donghyuck of a lullaby. 

Jungwoo wasn’t looking at him anymore, but Donghyuck saw the moment the siren’s eyes took on a glow. Not long after, one of the lotus flowers near them started slowly unfolding from the bud that it had been in. Donghyuck could barely believe what he was seeing. Jungwoo squeezed his hand and he almost jumped out of his own skin before he remembered what the other had told him to do. 

His voice wavered at first, but it didn’t take him too long to get a hang of Jungwoo’s simple melody. Donghyuck focused his gaze on another lotus bud and as he kept humming, he tried his best to let some of the tingling at the bottom of his throat to flow away with the sound, the image of Jungwoo’s lotus flowering stuck in his mind.

The bud shivered and Donghyuck’s throat nearly closed up but he managed to keep his voice steady, his heart hammering in his chest. Slowly, very slowly, the petals started opening. Donghyuck felt something prickling the corners of his eyes. It wasn’t nearly as impressive as what Jungwoo had shown him, but it was _him_ , it was _Donghyuck_ doing it. He was making a flower bloom. With his _voice_. 

He leaned closer to the lake, wanting to see the lotus better and maybe make it open up more. Something, however, made him glance down. When he saw his own reflection on the surface of the water, Donghyuck’s breath caught in his throat and he stopped humming abruptly. Moments later, the small glowing green spots in his eyes dimmed and his reflection looked normal again. In the silence, Donghyuck’s whisper seemed to carry across the lake, “Whoa.”

Jungwoo smiled at him when Donghyuck turned to him, gaping. The glow of the siren’s eyes was gone as well, but there was pride in his gaze as he looked at Donghyuck. “There you go. Your eyes are beautiful.”

“I-” Donghyuck stammered before snapping his mouth shut. It was too much at this point, to think about the fact that his eyes could _glow_ , so he pushed it away and came up with another question instead. “Do all sirens have green eyes?”

Jungwoo shook his head. “No. The eye colour reflects the natural strength of our powers, how strong we are at birth. Green is the common colour, most sirens have it. Slightly more powerful ones have blue eyes. Next is golden and the most powerful is silver.” Jungwoo’s gaze became distant as he stared on the other side of the lake, at the waterfall. “Still, a siren with green eyes can be more powerful than one with silver eyes, they will just have to practice harder.”

“Huh.” Donghyuck stared at his half-open lotus flower. “Is it possible… Could I become as powerful?”

“I do not know. Your powers do not seem much weaker than those of a regular siren, but I am not sure what you are capable of, being half a human.”

Donghyuck let out a hum, pursing his lips. The breeze that travelled through the haven was refreshing and the sun had risen high into the sky, warming him gently. They fell into a comfortable silence and Donghyuck couldn’t help but think about how drastically his view of Jungwoo had changed in less than a day. It was hard to imagine himself being as terrified of the siren as he had been when he’d woken up on the beach, but he also knew that the other could control a whole group of humans and make them sink their ship if he so wanted.

Donghyuck jumped as he felt a touch on his ankle, too engrossed in his thoughts to have noticed Jungwoo reaching out. He looked down and saw the siren fiddling with the silver sun on his anklet. There was a curious expression on Jungwoo’s face when he looked up. “Is this a gift from your darling sailor boy?”

“Wh–what?” Donghyuck stuttered, flustered by the words. “Do you mean Mark?” He asked, voice turning embarrassingly high-pitched by the end of the sentence. “He’s not- he’s not my darling.” Donghyuck swallowed, deflating a little. He thought about the rings that Jaemin and Renjun had on their fingers, after years of struggling. “He’s not mine.”

Jungwoo’s eyes widened a little at that. “Oh? Are you sure? He seems to look at you like he is.”

Donghyuck’s throat felt tight, his heart jumping up in it to choke him. “No, no,” he waved his hands dismissively. “We’re friends, we’ve just known each other for a really long time.” 

Jungwoo hadn’t been around other sirens or humans for a decade, he must have just confused himself. 

The siren eyed him for a moment before he shrugged and turned away. Donghyuck let out a relieved breath, his heart aching in his chest. _He’s not mine._

When they returned back to the village, only Yuta and Taeyong were by the place where the crew of Morning Star had set their camp during the night. They were hiding from the midday sun beneath the shadows of a partly collapsed house, sitting shoulder to shoulder while they discussed something. They didn’t spot Donghyuck and Jungwoo until Donghyuck cleared his throat and their heads snapped up.

“Hey,” he greeted. “Are the others at the ship?”

Yuta nodded as Donghyuck sat down on the other side of the table, his eyes flickering over to Jungwoo who remained standing. “They left about two hours ago. It took a while for Johnny to fix up the boat because all the tools we could find were in a bad shape.”

Donghyuck heard Jungwoo shift behind him before the siren took a seat next to him, his back as straight as a bowsprit as he stared down at the table. Taeyong looked at him with an apologetic smile on his face. “We took this table and the chairs from one of the houses. I hope you don’t mind.”

Jungwoo only met Taeyong’s gaze for a second before he turned his face away, the scales on his cheekbones oddly dim under the shade. The siren shook his head. “They do not belong to anyone anymore. You might as well use them.” There was a tight set to his jaw. Donghyuck nearly reached out to place a hand on his shoulder, but then thought better of it.

Instead, he eyed Taeyong and the subtle slump of the captain’s shoulders, the dark presses of exhaustion under his eyes. His injured hand was resting on the table, unmoving. Donghyuck met Yuta’s gaze and saw his own concern mirrored in the sail master’s expression. 

“Taeyong,” Donghyuck said quietly, leaning forwards over the table until he was able to see the bloodshot state of the captain’s eyes and swallowed. “How are you feeling?

“Don’t worry about me, Hyuckie,” Taeyong answered quickly. Donghyuck was about the huff and protest before the other continued, “I’ll be okay, it will just take some time.” Taeyong looked down at his hand on the table and moved his fingers slowly. Yuta wrapped his arm over the captain’s shoulder, which only made Taeyong purse his lips though he didn’t pull away from the touch. “I don’t want you guys to be careful around me, okay? You’re allowed to mourn too, Morning Star isn’t– wasn’t mine, I’ve never thought that. It was _our_ home, together, so don’t feel like your sadness is less justified than mine.” He finished his sentence by throwing a weak sideways glare at Yuta.

Donghyuck’s heart weighed down on his chest and he reached across the table to carefully place his hand over Taeyong’s, making sure that his touch was featherlight. He felt Jungwoo’s stare on the back of his head. “I’m not neglecting my sadness,” he might have been a bit distracted from it, but that was a different thing, “no one should.” Donghyuck raised his brow at Yuta before he gave Taeyong a small smile. “But Yongie, we all know that Morning Star was more than just a home to you. Remember when you told me about the–” he cut himself off when the captain nodded.

“I remember.” Taeyong let out a sigh and placed his healthy hand on the table to take a hold of Donghyuck’s. “My mother was the reason I wanted to become a sailor in the first place. Thanks to the figurehead, I felt like I had her there with me, just like we’d always wanted.” He took in a deep breath and then let it out. “I had so many good years with her spirit there with me but now I think… I think it’s time for her to rest. This doesn’t have to be all bad.” Taeyong shrugged. “Maybe it was meant to happen.” 

Donghyuck felt Jungwoo shift next to him before the siren’s knee was pressing against the side of his thigh. Donghyuck turned his head to look at him, resting his chin on top of his arm. Jungwoo was staring at Taeyong with an unreadable expression, his mouth pressed tightly shut. “I don’t….” Taeyong continued before trailing off. His thumb pressed into the back of Donghyuck’s hand. “I don’t blame anyone for what happened. This isn’t the kind of situation that calls for it.”

The following silence stretched over the four of them and Donghyuck watched as Jungwoo slowly parted his lips. The siren didn’t get to say what he had been about to, however, because they all jumped in surprise when a yell came from the forest that led to the beach. “We’re back!”

It was undoubtedly Johnny’s booming voice. Donghyuck’s guess was proven true as he turned and saw their friends emerging from the forest in a line – Johnny in the lead – carrying full sacks of whatever they had gathered from Morning Star. 

Donghyuck felt a tightness in his shoulders relax once he noticed that all of them were there, Mark included. He’d been too preoccupied with Jungwoo and learning about sirens to notice that he’d been worried about the others going to the sea without him. Worried that they would come back without Mark again. Donghyuck took a breath when Mark grinned at him. He smiled back at him. _He’s here._

His attention turned back to Jungwoo when the siren rose from his seat, eyes flickering back and forth between the humans before they settled on Donghyuck. “I will… see you later,” he said quietly. He didn’t wait for Donghyuck to answer before heading to his house.

Donghyuck didn’t protest even though the corners of his mouth tugged down a little. He wished to spend time with both his friends and Jungwoo, but he also understood the siren’s aversion. Donghyuck himself wouldn’t have felt safe around humans that he didn’t know if there were physical signs of him being a siren. Part of him felt relieved that he was lucky in those regards, part of him felt guilty that Jungwoo didn’t have the same security.

Johnny reached the table just as Donghyuck stood up. He set his full sack on the table, the contents of it making a sound close to the rumble of a tiny thunderstorm as they settled inside. “Oh,” Johnny blurted out, blinking after Jungwoo. “Why did he leave as soon as we came? He knows he’s welcome to hang out with us, right? I kind of wanted to ask if I could fix up some of the stuff around here.”

Unable to hold back the amused grin forming on his face, Donghyuck raised a brow. “You do know that you’re a giant muscular human, right?” At Johnny’s confused look, he sighed. “He’s probably intimidated by you, Johnny. All of you guys, actually. He…” Donghyuck bit the inside of his cheek. “He doesn’t feel safe around humans. But I’ll– I’ll ask him if it’s alright for you to repair things for use, even though I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.”

Before Johnny could answer, Yuta cleared his throat, arm still thrown over Taeyong’s shoulder. “How’s the ship?” He squeezed the captain tighter when he asked his question, pretending to not notice the other’s attempts at squirming away from him.

Scratching the back of his head, Johnny gave Donghyuck a nod before he started explaining things to his best friends. “The structure is pretty unstable with the rock piercing the hull, so I wouldn’t recommend going back to it unless absolutely necessary. I think everyone got what we needed now, anyways.” He hesitated for a moment before continuing, “Morning Star will likely slowly sink into the rock more and more before it gets pulled down under completely.”

Taeyong let out a breath before nodding, biting at his lower lip. “I was expecting that.”

Johnny swallowed before he continued. “We uh– we took the sails down completely and brought them to the shore with us, but they’re at the beach right now.” He shrugged. “Didn’t have enough hands to carry them back and also needed something to cover up the boat and keep it dry in case it rains. But I thought we could use them to build a shelter here near the fire? I’m not sure how safe the houses that are still standing would be to sleep in and I’m probably not the only one who likes the open space for a change."

Donghyuck left them to their plans as he headed over to Mark who was emptying his sack by the blankets they had slept on the previous night. “Well, what did you bring me?”

Mark ruffled his own hair before he pointed out the items he’d already set down on Donghyuck’s blanket. “I brought our quilts and your little bear, as you asked.” He tilted his head and looked up at Donghyuck with a twinkle in his eyes. Donghyuck suppressed the urge to touch his cheek. “Also the small knife Chenle stole from his dad’s collection to give to you the first time we left with the crew. Some clothes as well.”

“Oh, right,” Donghyuck mumbled, smiling sheepishly. “I forgot to ask for those. Thanks.”

“No problem.” Mark got up on his feet and dusted himself off. “How did it go with Jungwoo?”

Donghyuck froze, his tongue getting stuck against the roof of his mouth for a few seconds. It was long enough for the ghost of a frown to appear on Mark’s face so Donghyuck hurried to grab his wrist and pull him a bit further away from the campsite where everyone else was unpacking and beginning to sort their things out. 

“It was… amazing, honestly,” Donghyuck started as they walked, deliberately not looking Mark’s way. “I learned a lot about sirens and my own powers. Jungwoo even…” he trailed off as they stopped into the shadows of a building that was still standing. It seemed like it had been a storage place of some kind. The earlier events still managed to pull a weak smile to Donghyuck’s lips. “Jungwoo taught me how to coax a lotus flower to bloom by singing. I didn’t even know I could do that! I doubt I would be able to do it entirely on my own yet, but it felt nice. I wasn’t– I wasn’t scared of my powers for the first time since I learned about them.”

Mark twisted his hand in his grip until he could hold onto Donghyuck’s fingers. “That sounds great, Hyuck-ah.” He took a small step closer, eyes trailing all over Donghyuck’s face, trying to read his expression. “Why do I sense a but, though? Did something else happen?”

Pulling his hand away from the other’s grip, Donghyuck felt a bitter taste at the back of his throat. _He is most loyal to your call._ “Listen, Mark. Jungwoo... he told me something and it–” Donghyuck cut himself off and let out a frustrated breath, running a trembling hand through his hair. 

“Told you what?” Mark’s voice was soft in an attempt to reassure him. There was a furrow between his brows.

“Do you remember when we had that fight and I yelled at you?” Donghyuck’s voice broke by the end of the sentence but he pushed on to add, “I used my powers on you.”

“I remember. But Hyuck–”

Donghyuck struggled to not grit his teeth together. He turned his face and stared at the wall of the building they were standing by. “Jungwoo told me that humans get accustomed to the first siren who controls them,” Donghyuck said quietly, defeated. “So you’re…” he closed his eyes with a sigh. “Mark, you’re weak to my powers.”

Silence. “Oh.”

Donghyuck’s face twisted and he hung his head down so Mark wouldn’t see his pained expression. “Yeah.” He kicked at the ground, a flare of anger igniting in his chest. Anger towards himself. “I’m so sorry. If I’d known that would happen I-”

He jumped and snapped his head up when Mark placed his hands on Donghyuck’s shoulders. “You didn’t know anything at that point, Hyuck-ah,” Mark said. “You weren’t in control of your powers, you didn’t even know they existed at that point. Don’t blame yourself.” His gaze was earnest, almost challenging Donghyuck to try and argue with him.

Donghyuck shrunk into himself, stubbornly trying to hold onto his anger. It felt like there had to be someone he could blame. “But-”

Mark moved one of his hands from his shoulder under Donghyuck’s chin, successfully stopping him from avoiding his gaze. “If that hadn’t happened, I’d be susceptible to Jungwoo’s powers, right? The others are, aren’t they?” Donghyuck nodded. “Then I’m glad. If it had to be someone then I wouldn’t want it to be anyone else but you, Donghyuck.”

Donghyuck’s throat felt tight when he swallowed. “Don’t you think it’s... weird? That I have some kind of power over you? It’s not fair.”

Shaking his head to himself, Mark chuckled as he let go of Donghyuck, leaving his skin tingling. Donghyuck couldn’t understand the amusement in the other’s eyes. “It’s fine, really,” Mark assured him with a smile. “I trust you, you must know that.”

“Yeah,” Donghyuck whispered before clearing his throat. “Yeah, I know. I– I trust you too.”

“Are you okay?”

He nodded, averting his gaze and wiping at his face before gesturing at the air between them. Why was his stupid heart beating so fast? “Can I… Could I?”

Mark chuckled again. “You want a hug?” When Donghyuck nodded weakly, Mark took a step forward and pulled him close. He touched Donghyuck like he wasn’t a monster. He wasn’t a monster. Jungwoo wasn’t a monster. Sirens didn’t have to be monsters. 

It was embarrassing, but Donghyuck found himself breathing a little easier once he had his arms wrapped around Mark’s waist and the other was gently petting the back of his head. Donghyuck shivered and pressed in closer, forgetting about the crew being around and possibly seeing him act like this. “I didn’t realize I was scared that you wouldn’t come back until you were already here again,” he admitted to the air behind Mark.

“What do you mean come back? Of course I– oh.” Mark paused. Donghyuck heard him swallow. “Is this about the storm?” When Donghyuck nodded against his shoulder, Mark slipped his hand into his hair. “It’s not going to happen again, Hyuck-ah. I’m not going to let it happen again.” He pressed his smile against Donghyuck’s temple before he added, “You’re not getting rid of me, I’ll never leave you alone.”

Donghyuck hoped that Mark couldn’t feel the heat that rose to his cheeks. He traced his fingers over the beads of Mark’s necklace, watched as it raised goosebumps on his skin. “I would never forgive you if you did.” It was a lie, they both knew. Donghyuck could never hold anything against Mark, not for long.

The sun was setting and the campfire was already burning, having been used to make dinner for the crew. Donghyuck had finished his own serving, feeling warm and satisfied as he filled another bowl from the cauldron by the fire before heading towards the small house by the edge of the village with a purpose.

He held onto the bowl tighter as he passed Taeyong and Doyoung who were playfully wrestling for seemingly no reason, grins on their faces even though they were throwing silly insults at each other. By now, Donghyuck had learned that it was the other two’s weird way of showing their love to each other. He didn’t want to know what they got up to behind the closed doors of the captain’s cabin. At least they kept quiet about it.

Once he reached the house and stepped up the stairs of the porch silently, Donghyuck knocked on the door two times. It took a few long moments before it let out a creak, opening just enough for Donghyuck to be able to fit his foot in if he wanted to. He didn’t. Jungwoo peeked through the gap and once his eyes locked with Donghyuck’s, he opened the door further and stepped out onto the porch. 

Donghyuck was able to read the confusion from his expression so he held up the bowl of soup in his hands. “It’s not much, just some herbs, carrots and potatoes, but Jaehyun did his best with what we had left. He’s a good cook.”

The siren eyes the soup warily, not moving a hand to take it. Donghyuck blinked at him before holding Jungwoo’s gaze as he brought the bowl to his lips and took a sip. “See? It’s nice. I already had a serving, I just wanted to bring you one.”

This time, Jungwoo accepted the bowl into his hands. He moved to sit down on the porch before gesturing next to himself. “Sit with me.”

Donghyuck took a seat next to Jungwoo, pleased that the other didn’t jump or pull away when their shoulders brushed. The campfire looked small from the distance, creating odd shadows on the walls of the surrounding buildings. The village somehow looked both haunted and full of life. 

Jungwoo tasted the soup tentatively. He swallowed before letting out a pleased hum. Donghyuck didn’t hold back his grin. Sitting on Jungwoo’s porch, watching as the others talked and laughed was enough, for now. Donghyuck was determined and had the ability to be patient when the situation called for it. Slowly but surely, he would guide Jungwoo to the light and warmth of his friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you may have noticed, I have a massive soft spot for Hyuckwoo. I just think they're neat!

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments motivate me a lot, so please let me know what you think! I won't beg, I'll only ask after every single chapter ^_^
> 
> I don't have an update schedule but if you want to keep up with my writing process (and see me cry about how much I love our 23 boys), follow me on [twitter!](https://twitter.com/kunclipse)


End file.
